Turmeric

To give a sense of the medical majesty of this herb, we offer a partial list of U.S. institutions that have published papers on turmeric and/or its most well known components, the curcuminoids. The authors of this compilation chose to identify only U.S. institutions working in this area to demonstrate to the most skeptical and provincial that the enormous potential benefits of turmeric are definitely in the sights of our most brilliant scientists. The most amazing thing about this prodigious body of work is that the public is still completely unaware.

U.S. Institutions Studying Turmeric/Curcumin
A great herbalist and teacher once stated that if, after a lifetime of study, a student could understand the activity of just one herb, then that student would be a bona fide herbalist. In our judgment, if a student should accept that challenge, an herb worthy of a lifetime's study would be turmeric. We also believe that, after a lifetime's study, the student would not even begin to understand the full complexity of this, the world's most important herb. To give a sense of the medical majesty of this herb, we offer a partial list of U.S. institutions that have published papers on turmeric and/or its most well known components, the curcuminoids. The authors of this compilation chose to identify only U.S. institutions working in this area to demonstrate to the most skeptical and provincial that the enormous potential benefits of turmeric are definitely in the sights of our most brilliant scientists. The most amazing thing about this prodigious body of work is that the public is still completely unaware.

This list obviously does not include works in progress or the most impressive findings from other research institutions around the world. Also, while many of the studies here indicate profound and complex therapeutic activities to curcumin, consider it is just one component of this herb/spice that has been revered by billions for thousands of years. Numerous studies indicate curcumin's activity and bioavailability is significantly enhanced when delivered in the context of the other 4 known curcuminoids and the hundreds of other constituents in the whole plant. Inquire for a list of these references. The formatting begins with the name of the institution, followed by the departments and the head researcher and date of the study. The PMID # is the locator at the National Library of Medicine and the number after the hyphen is the number of researchers involved in the study. The summary presents the exact findings from either the abstract or full text of the article. Parentheses are included as summaries by the authors of this compilation.

ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, Brosnan CF. 2001 Curcumin has been used for centuries to treat inflammatory disorders. Due to its low toxicity it is currently under consideration as a broad anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor cell agent. We conclude that gammadelta T cells (allergic inflammatory agents)...are highly sensitive to curcumin and that this effect may contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties of this compound. PMID: 11544338-8R

HOSPITAL OF THE NORTH SHORE-LONG ISLAND JEWISH HEALTH SYSTEM, Trachtman H. 2001 The protective effect of curcumin against (toxin)-induced injury…was not related to its antioxidant properties. Instead, curcumin enhanced expression of heat shock protein… PMID: 11322764-3-R

DEPARTMENT OF ONCOLOGY, Augenlicht LH. 2000 The butyrate response was compared in detail with…curcumin, a component of mustard and curry structurally and functionally related to sulindac that also has chemopreventive activitiy. PMID: 10969808-3R

AMERICAN HEALTH FOUNDATION, CHEMOPREVENTION PROGRAM, Reddy BS. 1999 Curcumin inhibited colonic (tumor) formation (in an animal modeo) by 45%. PMID: 10223193-4R

DIVISION OF NUTRITIONAL CARCINOGENESIS, Reddy BS. 1999. Thus, chemopreventive activity of curcumin is observed when it is administered prior to, during, and after carcinogen treatment as well as when it is given only during the promotion/progression phase (starting late in premalignant stage) of colon carcinogenesis. PMID: 9973206-7R

Reddy BS. 1995 The results indicate that dietary administration of curcumin significantly inhibited incidence of colon adenocarcinomas and the multiplicity of invasive, noninvasive, and total (invasive plus noninvasive) adenocarcinomas. Dietary curcumin also significantly suppressed the colon tumor volume by >57% compared to the control diet. Although the precise mechanism by which curcumin inhibits colon tumorigenesis remains to be elucidated, it is likely that the chmopreventive action, at leasat in part, may be related to the modulation of arachidonic acid metabolism (the pathway that also leads to inflammatory COX-2). PMID: 7812955-5R

Reddy BS. 1993 The results of the present study indicate that curcumin, present in turmeric, inhibits AOM-induced colonic preneoplastic lesions and other cellular events relevant to colon carcinogenesis. PMID: 8242846-3R

BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE THE DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Tan TH. 1998 Curcumin, a dietary pigment in curry, suppresses tumor initiation and tumor promotion.... Taken together, the inhibition of the MEKK1-JNK pathway reveals a possible mechanism of suppression of AP-1 and NF-kappaB signaling (proteins overexpressed in pathological inflammation and cancer states) by curcumin, and may explain the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects of this chemical. PMID: 9674701-2R

CANCER RESEARCH CENTER OF HAWAII ETIOLOGY PROGRAM, Cooney RV. 1999 Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), a group of chemicals formed during high-temperature cooking of meat and fish, are potent mutagens and are suspected to play a role in colorectal (and just about every other form of) cancer.Lower levels of PhIP and MeIQx were observed in meat marinated with turmeric-garlic sauce. In contrast, marinating with barbecue sauce caused a 2.9- and 1.9-fold increase in PhIP and a 4- and 2.9-fold increase in MeIQx PMID: 10578481- 3R

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, Katz AE. 2001 Curcumin causes a marked decrease in the extent of cell proliferation…and…could be a potentially therapeutic anti-cancer agent, as it significantly inhibits prostate cancer growth,…and has the potential to prevent the progression of prostate cancer to its hormone refractory state. PMID: 11398177-5R

Katz AE. 2000 These results, taken together with our previous results that curcumin can induce apoptosis in both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells, support our view that curcumin may be a novel modality by which one can interfere with the signal transduction pathways of the prostate cancer cell and prevent it from progressing to its hormone-refractory state. PMID: 10851300 – 3R

CORNELL UNIVERSITY THE NEW YORK HOSPITAL-Cornell Medical Center, Bertagnolli MM. 2000 These data (approximately 63% decreased adenoma tumor formation) place the plant phenolics CAPE and curcumin among a growing list of anti-inflammatory agents that suppress Apc-associated intestinal carcinogenesis. PMID: 10783313-8R

DR. MITCHELL GAYNORE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR. 2001 Although there is abundant science to support the potential of nutritional therapies such as the natural COX-2 inhibitors found in red wine and turmeric and the phytoestrogens, in soy for cancer prevention, few doctors are aware of this information.

DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY, Bertagnolli MM. 2000 These results show that mucosal…T cells and B cells increase in animals treated with curcumin, suggesting that curcumin modulates lymphocyte-mediated immune functions. PMID: 10729246-4R

DEPARTMENT OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY, Dannenberg AJ. 1999 We found that curcumin directly inhibited the activity of COX-2. These data provide new insights into the anticancer properties of curcumin. PMID: 10190560-5R

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, Rigas B. 1997 Curcumin, the active ingredient of the rhizome of the plant turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn), a commonly used spice, prevents cancer in animal tumor models. The role of curcumin’s antiproliferative effect in human colon cancer remains to be established. PMID: 9422331-4R

STRANG-CORNELL CANCER RESEARCH LABORATORY, Nitin T. Telang, 1994. Curcumin, despite being an antioxidant, is also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. It is probable that curcumin may selectively kill clones of tumor cells, as has been reported. 1R

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Awasthi YC. 1999 Curcumin, an antioxidant present in the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been shown to inhibit chemical carcinogenesis in animal models and has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory agent… These results suggest that GSTs play a major role in detoxification of lipid peroxidation products…and that these enzymes are modulated by curcumin. PMID: 10514034-7R

EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY, Pavlath GK. 1999 Skeletal muscle is often the site of tissue injury due to trauma, disease, developmental defects or surgery. Yet, to date, no effective treatment is available to stimulate the repair of skeletal muscle…Systemic administration of the NF-kB inhibitor curcumin stimulates muscle regneration after traumatic injury. The striking effects of curcumin on myogenesis suggest therapeutic applications for treating muscle injuries. PMID: 10444409-5R

DIVISION OF CARDIOLOGY, Department of Medicine, Medford RM. 1998 (Curcumin was also found to inhibit TNF activated VCAM-1, a pathway which can lead to pathological inflammation and is implicated in atherosclerosis). PMID: 9468519-3R

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Mazzio EA. 1998 Excessive nitric oxide (NO) production in the brain has been correlated with neurotoxicity and the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. (Curcumin and other plant compounds were shown to significantly inhibit this potentially problematic imbalance). PMID: 9714085-2R

HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER DIVISION OF UROLOGY, Shoskes DA. 2000 The combination of mycophenolic acid with curcumin…reduces rental injury and facilitates repair. PMID: 10688038-2R

DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY, UCLA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Shoskes DA. 1998 Quercetin and curcumin reduce ischemia-reperfusion (blood flow obstructed) injury and its inflammatory sequelae. The bioflavonoids (curcumin) holds promise as agents that can reduce immune and nonimmune renal injury, the key risk factors in chronic graft loss. PMID: 9701255-1R

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY, Freeman MR. 1999 [This group is looking at the relationship between curcumin, AP-1 (a key player in the inflammatory cascade) and bladder muscle health]. PMID: 10444406-7R

DEPARTMENT OF DERMATOLOGY, Byers HR 1998 These results indicate that curcumin has direct antiangiogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. The activity of curcumin in inhibiting carcinogenesis in diverse organs such as the skin and colon may be mediated in part through angiogenesis inhibition. PMID: 10780880-8R collaborative effort * See Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery’s collaborative effort with Stanford University School of Medicine

DEPARTMENTS OF SURGERY AND GENETICS on AP-1 research and curcumin.

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, Detroit, MI, Chapman RA. 1998 We have investigated the antiproliferative effect of curcumin, an antitumor agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties...These findings have implications for developing curcumin-based anticancer and anti-inflammation therapies. PMID: 9719490-5R department of medicine, CHAPMAN RA. 1998 We have investigated the antiproliferative effect of curcumin, an antitumor agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, against a variety of transformed and nontransformed cell types...These findings have implications for developing curcumin-based anticancer and anti-inflammation therapies. PMID: 9719490-5R

DIVISION OF HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY, Gautam SC. 1997-98 (Curcumin was also found to inhibit aspects of the NF-Kappa B cascade, a pathway which can lead to pathological inflammation and cancer proliferation). PMID: 9439980-5R.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, GAUTAM SC. 1997 (This group of scientists from Henry Ford Hospital are investigating curcumins role as an anti-inflammatory in this most complex biochemical pathway). PMID: 9168063-6R

MANHATTAN EYE, EAR AND THROAT HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY—Head and Neck Surgery, Schantz SP. 1998 (Curcumin and other agents were found to inhibit two cell lines of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas). PMID: 9482545-5R

MEDICAL COLLEGE OF OHIO DEPARTMENTS OF UROLOGY AND PATHOLOGY, Selman SH. 2001 The development of an effective nontoxic agent that may be used immediately after bladder tumor resection to prevent the implantation of tumor cells would be a significant clinical advancement…curcumin is a potent cytotoxic agent against (multiple) bladder tumor cell lines. Curcumin effectively inhibits tumor implantation and growth in this murine bladder tumor model. PMID: 11547120-5R

MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY, HEAD AND NECK SURGERY, Sacks PG. 1998 Combinations allowed for a dose reduction of 4.4-8.5-fold for EGCG and 2.2-2.8-fold for curcumim. EGCG and curcumin were noted to inhibit neoplastic growth by different mechanisms, a factor which may account for their demonstrable interactive synergistic effect. PMID: 9525275 – 5R

SCHANTZ S. 1997 Effective chemoprevention of aerodigestive tumors could have far-reaching effects. Aerodigestive cancer accounts for one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States and is the most common cancer in some areas of the world...Novel agents are under development (especially for heavy smokers): epigallacatchin gallate, or green tea, curcumin, and a new emphasis on folic acid. PMID: 9433643-2R

MERCY CANCER INSTITUTE Cancer Research Laboratory Pittsburgh, PA, Zaren HA 1998 Results of the present study suggest that curcumin may inhibit BaP-induced forestomach cancer in mice by affecting both activation as well as inactivation pathways of BaP metabolism in the liver...Therefore, it seems reasonable to postulate that curcumin may exert anticarcinogenic activity either by inhibiting activation of BaP or (and) by enhancing the detoxification of (+)-anti-BaPDE (the metabolite of BaP that is highly carcinogenic). PMID: 9744529-7R

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND NATIONAL SAFETY AND TOXICOLOGY CENTER, Nair MG. 2000 (Curcuminoids) from Cucuma longa were assayed for their cytotoxicity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. These compounds showed activity against leukemia, colon, CNS, melanoma, renal, and breast cancer cell lines. Curcumins I-III also showed good inhibition of the COX-II enzyme…PMID: 10969724-3R

NAIR MG. 1998 … three curcuminoids displayed topoisomerase I and II enzyme inhibition activity (an imbalance or excess in topoisomerase enzyme activity, the enzyme responsible for breaking and repairing DNA, is believed at the root of many cancer processes). PMID: 9584408-3R

NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DIVISION OF CANCER PREVENTION, Sigman CC. 2000 Numerous diet-derived agents are included among the >40 promising agents and agent combinations that are being evaluated clinically as chemopreventive agents for major cancer targets including breast, prostate, colon and lung. Examples include green and black tea…curcumin…PMID: 10721931-13R

LABORATORY OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Boone CW. 1998 (Researchers concluded curcumin and green/black tea extracts prevented radiation induced DNA damage). PMID: 9858893-7R

DIVISION OF BASIC SCIENCES, Pommier Y. 1997 (The NCI has been investigating curcumin for specific activities against HIV). PMID: 9301668-7R

DIVISION OF CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL (DCPC), Sigman CC. 1996 (Curcumin is one of a number of plant compounds that are under investigation by the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) of the National Cancer Institute as a “promising chemopreventive agent.” PMID: 9154168-25R

LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY, Pommier Y. 1995 The present data suggest that HIV-1 integrase inhibition may contribute to the antiviral activity of curcumin. These observations suggest new strategies for antiviral drug development that could be based upon curcumin as a lead compound for the development of inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase. PMID: 7748198-5R

CELLULAR DEFENSE AND CARCINOGENESIS SECTION, MD, Yeh GC 1998 These results suggest that the chemopreventive effect of curcumin may be due, in part, to its ability to compete with aryl hydrocarbons for both the AhR and CYP1A1 (part of an essential detoxification enzyme system).... The chemopreventive effect of curcumin has been variously ascribed to the antioxidant properties of curcumin, inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity, suppression of activator protein-1-mediated transcription, and induction of apoptosis of tumor cells. Based on our results, curcumin also appears to decrease carcinogen activation. PMID: 9698073-4R

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTIC BRANCH, George S. Roth. 1999 Thus, our results suggest that DA triggers a death program via oxidative stress-mediated activation of nuclear transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kB. These apoptotic molecular events may explain the DA-related neurodegenerative processes. 5R

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS SECTION, GERONTOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER, Roth GS. 1999 (Utilizing curcumin studying inflammation factors AP-1 and NF-kappa B to help determine the mechanisms at play in normal cell metabolism). PMID: 10419543-5R

NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES, Duvvi, 2001. Curcumin, a spice widely used in Indian dishes, has anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also inhibits the oestrogenic effects of DDT and is synergistic with phytoestrogens. PMID: 11467202-1R

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE, Fleming HP. 2000 Turmeric was found to almost completely prevent aldehyde formation. PMID: 11052754-3R

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, M. S.V. Bhide. 1992 This study shows that curcumins inhibit cancer at initiation, promotion and progression stages of development...The results of our anticarcinogenicity studies with curcumins are strengthened by the recent epidemiological finding that dietary intake of turmeric may provide protection against pulmonary cancer among cigarette smokers...Curcumins inhibit the initiation step of carcinogenesis by changing the activity of phase I and phase II carcinogen metabolizing enzymes, thus altering the nature and lowering or removing potent proximate carcinogens that can reach critical intracellular targets. 2R

PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, Kumar R. 1995 These findings demonstrate that curcumin is a potent inhibitor of a growth stimulatory pathway,…and may potentially be useful in developing anti-proliferative strategies to control tumor cell growth. PMID: 7634398-4R

RUTGERS DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1997 (Curcumin was observed to have a strong inhibitory effect on multiple models of tumor formation in animals). PMID: 9054592-8R

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1997 Combinations of curcumin and RA (vitamin like compound) have a particularly potent inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HL-60(human leukemia ) calls. PMID: 9112257-5R

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, College of Pharmacy, Frenkel K. 1997 (Topical curcumin demonstrated significant antitumor effects against mutiple animal models. Significant activities wer eobserved with all curcuminoids). PMID: 9591190-3R

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOGNOSY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1995 (Rutger’s researchers investigated different curcuminoids for their anti-tumor effects and found that I and II were most active). PMID: 7586157-8R

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, Huang HI. 1995 (In chronic inflammation, signals induce the production of nitric oxide (NO.) that is converted to DNA damaging and carcinogenic peroxynitrite and nitrite. Curcumin and compounds from rosemary and tea inhibit this compound). PMID: 7553604-3R

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, Chan MM. 1995 Curcumin, contained in the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa Linn, is a naturally occurring phytochemical that has been used widely in India and Indonesia for the treatment of inflammation. ...(Curcumin was also found to inhibit activation of NF-Kappa B, a pathway which can lead to pathological inflammation and cancer proliferation). PMID: 7786295-1R There was more than a thousand-fold difference between the efficacy of curcumin (5uM) and that of NAC (60mM).

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOGNOSY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1994 These results indicated that not only did curcumin inhibit the number of tumors (colon, forestomach and duodenum) per mouse and the percentage of mice with tumors but it also reduced tumor size. PMID: 7954412-6R

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOGNOSY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1992 (Topical application of benzo(A)pyrene (B(a)P), a most potentially carcinogenic compound in smoke, was significantly inhibited by application of curcumin). PMID: 1423891-5R

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOGNOSY, College of Pharmacy, Conney AH. 1992 This result suggests that dietary curcumin may inhibit AOM (powerful carcinogen)-induced colonic neoplasia in mice. PMID: 1611594-6R

STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENTS OF SURGERY AND GENETICS, Michael R. Freeman. Previous studies have demonstrated that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a potent inhibitor of tumor promotion, inhibits AP-1-mediated transcription. 7R

TUFTS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Vision Research Laboratories of New England Eye Center and The Department of Ophthalmology, Fini ME. 2000 Our findings provide evidence that curcuminoids target the FGF-2 angiogenic signaling pathway [FGF-2 stimulates the growth and development of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) that contribute to the pathogenesis of several diseases (i.e. cancer, atherosclerosis)] and inhibit expression of gelatinase B [an essential component in the process of tumour invations and metastasis]in the angiogenic process. PMID: 10744729-8R

DEPARTMENTS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AND ANATOMY AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, M. Elizabeth Fini. 1999 Curcuminoids, natural products of the Indian spice turmeric, are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents that have been entered into Phase I clinical trials for chemo-preventation by the National Cancer Institute. At least part of their biological activity can be attributed to their capacity to inhibit activation of AP-1 and NF-kB transcription factors...To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the efficacy of curcuminoids as implantable drugs for inhibition of angiogenesis locally or as orally active drugs to inhibit angiogenesis systemically...Our findings provide evidence that curcuminoids target the FGF-2 angiogenic signaling pathway and inhibit expression of gelatinase B in the angiogenic process. 8R

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE AND COMMUNITY HEALTH, Line PS. 1998 These data suggest that combinations of natural plant compounds (curcumin and isoflavones) may have preventive and therapeutic applications against the growth of breast tumors induced by environmental estrogens. PMID: 9831541-3R

DIVISION OF NUTRITIONAL CARCINOGENESIS, Reddy BS. 1997 (Curcumin and other agents may plan an important inhibitory role in the promotion/progression stage of colon carcinogenesis). PMID: 9102217-5R

UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER FOR COMBAT AND LIFE SUSTAINMENT RESEARCH, Maheshwari RK. 1999 These results show that curcumin enhanced would repair in diabetic impaired healing, and could be developed as a pharmacological agent in such clinical settings. PMID: 10564565-8R

CENTER FOR COMBAT CASUALTY AND LIFE SUSTAINMENT RESEARCH, DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, BETHESDA, MD, Maheshwari RK. 1998 It may be possible that transforming growth factor-beta1 plays an important role in the enhancement of wound healing by curcumin. PMID: 9776860-7R

DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, Maheshwari RK. 1996 Since curcumin inhibited the proliferation of HUVEC (a model for testing abnormal cell proliferation), it could turn out to be a very useful compound for the development of novel anti-cancer therapy. PMID: 8913274-4R

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, Schneider CD. 2000 (The University of Arizona has received a multi-million dollar U.S. government grant to study turmeric’s anti-inflammatory activities. PMID: 10911509-2R

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles DEPARTMENTS OF MEDICINE AND NEUROLOGY, Cole GM 2001 Inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients is characterized by increased cytokines and activated microglia... Low and high doses of curcumin significantly lowered oxidized proteins and interleukin-1beta, a proinflammatory cytokine elevated in the brains of these mice. With low-dose but not high-dose curcumin treatment, the astrocytic marker GFAP was reduced, and insoluble beta-amyloid (Abeta), soluble Abeta, and plaque burden were significantly decreased by 43-50%. In view of its efficacy and apparent low toxicity, this Indian spice component shows promise for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. PMID: 11606625

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO DIVISION OF GASTROENTEROLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, Chauhan DP 2001. These data suggest that a non-toxic concentration of curcumin has a significant effect on the in vitro growth of HT-29 cells, specifically inhibits COX-2 expression, and may have value as a safe chemopreventive agent for colon cancer. PMID: 11566484-3R

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION, Department of Pediatrics, Stanberry LR. 1999 (Curcumin “provided significant protection” in an animal model against herpes simplex virus type 2). PMID: 10443534-4R

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ARGARWAL A. MEDICINE, Nick HS, 2001 HO-1 occurs as an adaptive and protective response to several inflammatory stimuli…Curcumin has anti-inflammatory antioxidant and renoprotective effects. PMID: 11500326 – 4R

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TOXICOLOGY, Hendrix K. 1997 (This group of scientists from the University of Idaho is studying curcumin’s effects on animal immune functions.) PMID: 9049662-3R

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND HUMAN NUTRITION, Fisher C. 1996 Therefore, curcumin when administered i.p. can act as an effective chemopreventative agent towards DMBA-induced rat mammary tumorigenesis and mammary adduct formation. PMID: 8635149-4R

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO THE PROGRAM FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOGNOSY, COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, Kim JY 2001. … a novel curcuminoid isolate from turmeric that has been demonstrated to protect neuronal cells from beta-amyloid insult… PMID: 11549465 – 2R

KIM JK 2001 beta-Amyloids (betaA) induced oxidative stress is a well-established pathway of neauronal cell death in Alzheimer’s disease. From turmeric, Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), three curcuminoids where found to protect cells from betaA insult…These compounds were better antioxidants than alpha-tocopherol. alpha-Tocopherol did not protect the cells from betaA insult…PMID: 11297823 – 3R

PZZUTO JM. 1999 (Curcumin and other chemopreventives inhibit skin carcinogenesis in an animal model) PMID: 10615860-2R

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SURGERY, Chen C. 1999 Curcumin is a potent inhibitor of Epstein-Barr virus cell lines. This effect appears to be mediated through enhanced apoptosis. A further investigation of this effect may be useful in prevention and therapy of B-cell lymphoma in immunodeficient patients. PMID: 10527697-6R

BONDADA S. 1999 It has been well known that curcumin is a powerful inhibitor of proliferation of several tumor cells.…NF-kappaB (critical factor in the pathology of inflammation and cancer) binding activity was also downregulated almost completely by curcumin…curcumin caused the growth arrest and apoptosis of lymphoma (cell lines)…PMID: 10527691-5R

NAGABHUSHAN M. 1998 Curcumin (Cur) is a phenolic component of common spice, turmeric. We have reported earlier that it possesses antineoplastic and immunosuppressive properties in vitro. PMID: 9733605-6R

NAGABHUSKAHN M. 1998 An extract of a common spice (turmeric) is an effective inhibitor of this (an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) related) process. PMID: 9457037-5R

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY, You W. 1999 Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antitumor effects. The results suggest that apoptosis (cellular suicide) is involved in the curcumin-induced inhibition of tumor cell growth, and genes associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis may be playing a role in the chemopreventive action of curcumin.…[curcuma longa i.}…is getting the attention of cancer investigators because of its chemopreventive properties against human malignancies. PMID: 1044542-2R

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY (Plastic), Salahudeen AK. 1998 These findings provide evidence that turmeric and curcumin provide protection against oxidative stress in a renal cell line. PMID: 9436613-4R

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY HORMONE RESEARCH LABORATORY, SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY AND MEDICINE, Virji AS. 2000 It is concluded that curcumin is considerably more potent than genistein and quercetin, but cisplatin is five fold more potent than curcumin in inhibition of growth and DNA synthesis…The data presented in this study demonstrate that curcumin compares favorably with cisplatin in its inhibitory effect on both cell growth and DNA synthesis in human oral squamous carcinoma cell line PMID: 10928101-2R

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, CENTER FOR GASTROINTESTINAL BIOLOGY AND DISEASE, Sarto RB. 1999 We conclude that curcumin potently inhibits cytokine-mediated NF-kappa B activation (this group has identified a mechanism that this critical factor in cancer and inflammation pathologies is inhibited). PMID: 10477620

R. BALFOUR SARTO, 1999. Nontraditional or alternative medicine is becoming an increasingly attractive approach for the treatment of various inflammatory disorders among patients unresponsive to or unwilling to take standard medications....The use of natural anti-inflammatory products provides an attractive and safe alternative to modulate inflammatory disorders. Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory food product that has been used for centuries in Asian cultures. However, the lack of information regarding a mechanism of action for curcumin combined with unknown effects on mucosal inflammatory gene expression have precluded the widespread clinical use of curcumin in western cultures for treatment of intestinal inflammatory disorders. Our data clearly indicate that cytokine-mediated expression of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 and the chemokine IL-8 in IEC’s is blocked by curcumin treatment...Together, these data provide strong evidence that curcumin blocks IEC gene expression by inhibiting the signal leading to IKK activation, subsequent I-?Bá phosphorylation/degradation, and NF-?B activation. This study provides a strong rational to investigate the effect of curcumin in an in vivo experimental model of intestinal inflammation. 7R

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, School of Medicine DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, Zarnegar R. 2000 (Confirmed that curcumin is an inhibitor of Ap-1, a protein which can play a pathophysiological role in the proliferation of cancer cells and inflammation). PMID: 10713700-3R

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, Arlington DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, Ansari GA 2000 Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a yellow pigment of turmeric with antioxidant properties has been shown to be a cancer preventative in animal studies conducting glutathione research. PMID: 10996298-8R

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH CENTER AT TYLER DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Rao LV. 2000 We investigated the effect of curcumin, a natural plant phenolic compound known to exhibit anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, on Egr-1 expression (regulates a number of pathophysiologically relevant genes)…the data show that curcumin suppresses the induction of transcription factor Egr-1. PMID: 10674404-2R

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES, Rao LV. 1997 Overall, the data suggest that the anticarcinogenic and anti-inflmmatory properties of curcumin may be related to its ability to inhibit cellular gene expression regulated by transcription factors NF-kappa B, AP-1, and Egr-1. PMID: 9437186-3R

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, Aggarwal BB. 1998 Our results demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin may be attributable, in part, to inhibition of leukocyte (white blood cell) recruitment. (Curcumin was also found to inhibit TNF activated NF-Kappa B, a pathway which can lead to pathological inflammation and cancer proliferation). Curcumin should be explored for its therapeutic value in atherogenesis, bacterial sepsis, inflammation, and tumor metastasis. PMID: 9586949-4R

DEPARTMENT OF BIOIMMUNOTHERAPY, Aggarwal BB. 1997 Pharacologically safe compounds that can inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells have potential as anticancer agents. Curcumin, a diferuloylmethane, is a major active component of the food flavor turmeric (Curcuma longa) that exhibits anticarcinogenic properties in vivo... Overall our results suggest that curcumin is a potent antiproliferative agent for breast tumor cells and may have potential as an anticancer agent. PMID: 9215611-4R

DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, Aggarwal BB. 1995 (Curcumin was also found to inhibit a pathway leading to NF-Kappa B, a cascade which can lead to pathological inflammation and cancer proliferation). PMID: 7559628-2R

BHARAT B. AGGARWAL, 1995. In the present report we demonstrate that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a known anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic agent, is a potent inhibitor of NF-kB activation. 2R

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY AND GENETICS, Awashi YC. 2000 … kept on a diet supplemented with only 0.005% (w/w) curcumin had significantly less opacification of lenses… PMID: 10814889 – 6R

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Awashi YC. 1999 Curcumin, an antioxidant present in the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) , has been shown to inhibit chemical carinogenesis in animal models and has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory agent. Taken together, these results suggest that GSTs (specific detoxification enzymes) play a major role in detoxification of lipid peroxidation products…and that these enzymes are (positively) modulated by curcumin. PMID: 10514034-7R

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY AND GENETICS, Perez-Polo Jr. 1999 (Curcumin is being studied for its positive influence on AP-1, a protein which can play a pathophysiological role in the proliferation of cancer cells and inflammation). PMID: 10555784-3R

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, GALVESTON, TX Awasthi S. 1998 Our results suggest that induction of enzymes involved in the detoxification of the electrophilic products of lipid peroxidation may contribute to the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of curcumin. PMID: 9675878-6R

AWASHI YC. Curcumin treatment caused a significant induction of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) isozyme (detoxification enzyme)…and these studies suggest that curcumin may be an effective protective agent against cataractogenesis (formation of cataracts) induced by lipid peroxidation (oxidation of fat). PMID: 8901798-6R

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO COLLEGE OF ART & SCIENCES, Jankun J. 2001 Understanding how curcumin inhibits lipoxygenase may help in the development of novel anti-cancer drugs used for treatment where lipoxygenases are involved. PMID: 11029517-4R

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, Majumdar AP. 2001 Curcumin appears to exert its anticarcinogenic properties by inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in certain gastric and colon cancer cells. PMID: 11396178-3R

YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY, Sartorelli AC. 1997 Curcumin, a potent inhibitor of tumor promotion and of tumor cell growth, has also been shown to have antioxidant properties and to inhibit NF-kappa B (NF-Kappa B is a pathway which can lead to pathological inflammation and abnormal cancer proliferation)...Curcumin caused a marked reduction in NF-kappa B activity in nuclear extracts of HL-60 cells (human leukemia cell line) exposed to this agent … PMID: 9112258-3R

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