Editor's comment: anti-neoplastic activity of curcumin in PCa

Abstract

The May -June 2009 issue of the International Braz J Urol presents important contributions from different countries, and as usual, the editor's comment highlights some papers. Doctor Leite and co-investigators, from Laboratory of Medical Investigation, Sao Paulo University, -cally, they used the LNCaP cell line and another prostate cell line developed in their own laboratory, PcBra1. A prostate cancer cell line was isolated from a localized prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9 (4+5). After six passages, the new cell line was treated with varying doses of curcumin. Apoptosis was detected well-established metastatic prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP. Increasing concentrations of curcumin promoted more apoptosis in the PcBra1 cells. Exposure to 10 and 25 μM curcumin induced apoptosis in 31.9% and 52.2% of cells, respectively. Late apoptosis was induced in 37% of cells after treatment with 10 μM curcumin and 35% of cells with a 25 μM treatment. Necrosis accounted for less than 10% of the death in these cells at conclusion, the authors have shown that curcumin acts on localized prostate cancer to induce apoptosis and may therefore be an option as a future therapeutic agent. Dr. Gerd Birkenmeier, from Institute of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Germany, provided an interesting editorial on this research. Doctor Lang and co-workers, from Downstate School of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY, USA, studied on page patients that underwent nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy, a total of 127 had an intercostal access tract (11th or 12th rib) and 515 had a subcostal access tract. Considering the major complications found and the advantages that the intercostal access route offers to the surgeon, the authors concluded that it is reasonable to recommend its use after proper pre-procedural assessment of the anatomy, and particularly the respiratory lung motion. Dr.

Safe and targeted anticancer therapy for ovarian cancer using a novel class of curcumin analogs

“…The anti-carcinogenic properties of curcumin have been demonstrated in animal models and human studies have shown the chemo-preventive properties of curcumin against breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancer [44-50]. Curcumin’s anti-neoplastic activity, along with its low molecular weight and apparent lack of toxicity (use of up to 8 g/day), makes it an ideal foundation for the development of new, synthetic chemotherapeutic agents [51]. …”