Turmeric

The root of turmeric has long been used in traditional Asian medicines to treat gastrointestinal upset, arthritic pain, and “low energy”. Tumeric is also known as curcumin or yellow curry. It is a polyphenol from the plant Curcuma longa.

It has been linked to the suppression of inflammation, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, pulmonary, and neurological systems, of skin and liver, loss of bone and muscle, depression, chronic fatigue and neuropathic pain.

Turmeric has several mechanisms by which it protects against cancer:

  • It interferes with cylcin D1 and cyclin E as well as inducing apoptosis by activation of caspases.
  • Blocks invasion by blocking MMP-9 and adhesion molecules.
  • Inhibits metastasis by inhibiting CXCR-4.
  • Suppresses proliferation by blocking HER-2, EGFR, AP-1. Cells are arrested in the GI/S phase.
  • Blocks survival by down regulating P13K/AKT pathway.
  • Prevents angiogenesis by inhibiting VEGF.

Tumeric has been shown to stimulate the expression of Nrf2 which binds to antioxidant response elements and initiates transcription of genes coding for detoxifying enzymes and cytoprotective proteins and an increase in haemoxygenase (HO-1) which provides protection against various forms of stress.

It is a strong inducer of heat shock response proteins. Heat Shock response is one form of stress response. Heat shock proteins are proteins serving as molecular chaperones involved in the protection of cells from various forms of stress which when activated might be able to counteract oxidative stress and disturbed protein metabolism. One example of disturbed protein metabolism is the misfolded amyloid protein found in Alzheimer’s disease. Heat shock proteins and heme oxygenase-1 scavenge and try to reduce the effect of the misfolded protein. Other examples of protein conformational diseases include Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease and Fredrich’s ataxia.