Pharmacologically 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 has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of a wide variety of tumor cells. The apoptotic intermediates through which curcumin exhibits its cytotoxic effects against tumor cells are not known, and the participation of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 or Bcl-xl in the curcumin-induced apoptosis pathway is not established. In the present report we investigated the effect of curcumin on the activation of the apoptotic pathway in human acute myelogenous leukemia HL-60 cells and in established stable cell lines expressing Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl. Curcumin inhibited the growth of HL-60 cells (neo) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl-transfected cells were relatively resistant. Curcumin activated caspase-8 and caspase-3 in HL-60 neo cells but not in Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl-transfected cells. Similarly, time-dependent poly(ADP)ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage by curcumin was observed in neo cells but not in Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl-transfected cells. Curcumin treatment also induced BID cleavage and mitochondrial cytochrome c release in neo cells but not in Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl-transfected cells. In neo HL-60 cells, curcumin also downregulated the expression of cyclooxygenase-2. Because DN-FLICE blocked curcumin-induced apoptosis, caspase-8 must play a critical role. Overall, our results indicate that curcumin induces apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway involving caspase-8, BID cleavage, cytochrome c release, and caspase-3 activation. Our results also suggest that Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl are critical negative regulators of curcumin-induced apoptosis.

Cigarette smoke (CS) contains several carcinogens known to initiate and promote tumorigenesis and metastasis. Because various genes that mediate carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis are regulated by nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), we postulated that the effects of CS must be mediated through activation of this transcription factor. Therefore, in the present report we investigated whether cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) activates NF-kappaB, and whether the pathway employed for activation is similar to that of TNF, one of the potent activators of NF-kappaB. Our results show that the treatment of human histiocytic lymphoma U-937 cells with CSC activated NF-kappaB in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The kinetics of NF-kappaB activation by CSC was comparable with that of TNF. CSC-induced NF-kappaB activation was not cell type-specific, as it also activated NF-kappaB in T cells (Jurkat), lung cells (H1299), and head and neck squamous cell lines (1483 and 14B). Activation of NF-kappaB by CSC correlated with time-dependent degradation of IkappaB(alpha), an inhibitor of NF-kappaB. Further studies revealed that CSC induced phosphorylation of the serine residue at position 32 in IkappaB(alpha). In vitro immunocomplex kinase assays showed that CSC activated IkappaB(alpha) kinase (IKK). The suppression of CSC-activated NF-kappaB-dependent reporter gene expression by dominant negative form of IkappaB(alpha), TRAF2, NIK and IKK suggests a similarity to the TNF-induced pathway for NF-kappaB. CSC also induced the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, an NF-kappaB regulated gene product. Overall, our results indicate that through phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaB(alpha), CSC can activate NF-kappaB in a wide a variety of cells, and this may play a role in CS-induced carcinogenesis.

Taxol is the best anticancer agent that has ever been isolated from plants, but its major disadvantage is its dose-limiting toxicity. In this study, we report with mechanism-based evidence that curcumin, a nontoxic food additive commonly used by the Indian population, sensitizes tumor cells more efficiently to the therapeutic effect of Taxol

The microtubule-targeting antineoplastic agent, paclitaxel, is highly efficacious against a wide spectrum of human cancers. However, dose-limiting toxicity and development of drug resistance limit its clinical application. Development of novel strategies that overcome chemoresistance and sensitize cancer cells to paclitaxel can enhance the therapeutic effect of this drug. We have previously shown that curcumin, a natural polyphenol, enhances paclitaxelinduced cytotoxicity in vitro through downregulation of nuclear factor (NF)-jB and Akt pathways. This study was undertaken to determine whether this synergism exists in vivo and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Mouse cervical multistage squamous cell carcinoma model using 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and a xenograft model of human cervical cancer in nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mice using HeLa cells were used to evaluate the synergism. We observed that the combined treatment of curcumin and paclitaxel induced a synergestic reduction in the tumor incidence as well as tumor volume of animals compared with the individual treatments of paclitaxel or curcumin, although curcumin alone could not induce any significant effect at the concentration used. The results suggest that a suboptimal concentration of curcumin augments the antitumor action of paclitaxel by downregulating the activation and downstream signaling of antiapoptotic factors and survival signals such as NF-jB, Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases that have significant roles in proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and metastasis. This study revealed for the first time that 3-MC-induced tumorigenesis in mice is associated with a strong constitutive activation of NF-jB activity. Furthermore, we also observed that pre-exposure of carcinoma cells isolated from 3-MC-induced tumors to curcumin potentiates paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Overall, the findings of this preclinical study provide a strong rationale for the validation of this combination through clinical trials. As curcumin could effectively downregulate all these survival signals induced by paclitaxel, we suggest it as a potent chemosensitizer to improve the therapeutic index of paclitaxel.

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