Newswise — Curcumin, a polyphenol extracted from Curcuma longa, also known as turmeric, has gained attention from scientists worldwide for its biological properties as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral agent. In addition, curcumin’s anticancer potential has been the most described and still remains under investigation.
The most significant outcomes have been collected and discussed in the review “Curcumin and Cancer” by Prof. Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Sbarro Health Research Organization and the Sbarro Institute for Molecular Medicine and Cancer Research at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Professor of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Siena, Italy. Written together with Dr. Giuseppina Tommonaro of the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry-National Research Council (ICB-CNR) of Italy, the review was published in October 2019 in the prestigious journal Nutrients.
“In the last year, many scientists have discussed the real health benefits of Curcumin, often stimulating very passionate debate,” says Giordano, “and, with Giuseppina Tommonaro, as scientists involved in studies related to natural compounds and cancer, we wanted to explore the most recent findings on this topic.”
The review has collected studies concerning the anticancer potential of curcumin against the most widespread cancers and also describing the molecular mechanisms of action. Moreover, the problem of bioavailability of curcumin as well as the most recent advances in the clinical use of curcumin and new drug formulations are discussed.
The authors conclude that, thanks to its effects on different signaling pathways and molecular targets involved in the development of several cancers, curcumin represents a promising candidate as an effective anticancer drug, either alone or in combination with other treatments.
“Curcumin and Cancer”
by Antonio Giordano and Giuseppina Tommonaro
Nutrients 2019, 11(10), 2376; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102376 - 05 Oct 2019
About the Sbarro Health Research Organization
The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) is non-profit charity committed to funding excellence in basic genetic research to cure and diagnose cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other chronic illnesses and to foster the training of young doctors in a spirit of professionalism and humanism. To learn more about the SHRO please visit www.shro.org
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