Biological and therapeutic activities, and anticancer properties of curcumin (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Donatella Perrone
    • Fatima Ardito
    • Giovanni Giannatempo
    • Mario Dioguardi
    • Giuseppe Troiano
    • Lucio Lo Russo
    • Alfredo De Lillo
    • Luigi Laino
    • Lorenzo Lo Muzio
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 17, 2015     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2749
  • Pages: 1615-1623
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Abstract

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a polyphenol derived from the Curcuma longa plant. Curcumin has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine, as it is nontoxic and exhibits a variety of therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, analgesic, anti‑inflammatory and antiseptic activities. Recently, certain studies have indicated that curcumin may exert anticancer effects in a variety of biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, apoptosis, tumorigenesis, cell cycle regulation and metastasis. The present study reviewed previous studies in the literature, which support the therapeutic activity of curcumin in cancer. In addition, the present study elucidated a number of the challenges concerning the use of curcumin as an adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent. All the studies reviewed herein suggest that curcumin is able to exert anti‑inflammatory, antiplatelet, antioxidative, hepatoprotective and antitumor activities, particularly against cancers of the liver, skin, pancreas, prostate, ovary, lung and head neck, as well as having a positive effect in the treatment of arthritis.
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November-2015
Volume 10 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Perrone D, Ardito F, Giannatempo G, Dioguardi M, Troiano G, Lo Russo L, De Lillo A, Laino L and Lo Muzio L: Biological and therapeutic activities, and anticancer properties of curcumin (Review). Exp Ther Med 10: 1615-1623, 2015.
APA
Perrone, D., Ardito, F., Giannatempo, G., Dioguardi, M., Troiano, G., Lo Russo, L. ... Lo Muzio, L. (2015). Biological and therapeutic activities, and anticancer properties of curcumin (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 10, 1615-1623. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2749
MLA
Perrone, D., Ardito, F., Giannatempo, G., Dioguardi, M., Troiano, G., Lo Russo, L., De Lillo, A., Laino, L., Lo Muzio, L."Biological and therapeutic activities, and anticancer properties of curcumin (Review)". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 10.5 (2015): 1615-1623.
Chicago
Perrone, D., Ardito, F., Giannatempo, G., Dioguardi, M., Troiano, G., Lo Russo, L., De Lillo, A., Laino, L., Lo Muzio, L."Biological and therapeutic activities, and anticancer properties of curcumin (Review)". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 10, no. 5 (2015): 1615-1623. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2015.2749