A Systematic Review of Nonclinical Studies on the Effect of Curcumin in Chemotherapy- induced Cardiotoxicity

Abstract

Background: Various anticancer drugs are effective therapeutic agents for cancer treatment; however, they cause severe toxicity in body organs. Cardiotoxicity is one of the most critical side effects of these drugs. Based on various findings, turmeric extract has positive effects on cardiac cells. Objective: This study aims to evaluate how curcumin as the main component of turmeric may affect chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. Method: Database search was performed up to April 2021 using “curcumin OR turmeric OR Curcuma longa” and “chemotherapy-induced cardiac disease,” including all their equivalents and similar terms. After screening the total articles obtained from the electronic databases, 25 relevant articles were included in this systematic review. Results: The studies demonstrate lower body weight and increased mortality rates due to doxorubicin administration. Besides, cancer therapeutic agents induced various morphological and biochemical abnormalities compared to the non-treated groups. Based on most of the obtained results, curcumin at nontoxic doses can protect the cardiac cells mainly through modulating antioxidant capacity, regulation of cell death, and anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, according to a minority of findings, curcumin increases the susceptibility of the rat cardiomyoblast cell line (H9C2) to apoptosis triggered by doxorubicin. Conclusion: According to most nonclinical studies, curcumin can have the potential of cardioprotective effects against cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy. However, based on limited, contradictory findings demonstrating the function of curcumin in potentiating doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, well-designed studies are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of treatment with new formulations of this compound during cancer therapy.

A review of chemotherapeutic drugs-induced arrhythmia and potential intervention with traditional Chinese medicines

“…This natural polyphenol is the key active substance in turmeric ( Wang et al, 2015 ), which is a natural antioxidant ( Bahadır et al, 2018 ). CUR exhibits a variety of biological and pharmacological properties, and the protection of cardiomyocytes by non-toxic doses of CUR is mainly achieved by enhancing its antioxidant function, modulating cell death, and exerting anti-inflammatory effects ( Jain and Rani, 2018 ; Mohajeri and Sahebkar, 2018 ; Armandeh et al, 2022 ; Zhang and Wu, 2022 ). CUR is a well-known anticancer drug that regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis at multiple levels ( Mohajeri and Sahebkar, 2018 ).…”

Enhancing the Bioavailability and Bioactivity of Curcumin for Disease Prevention and Treatment

“…Besides being safe and non-toxic, curcumin has been investigated to promote cardioprotective effects against chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity [ 188 ]. In a rat embryonic cardiomyocytes model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, curcumin co-loaded with resveratrol (5:1) in Pluronic F127 micelles led to a 1617-fold increase in the aqueous solubility of curcumin, compared to the drug alone [ 189 ].…”

What can traditional Chinese medicine do for adult neurogenesis?

“…Individuals who took ginger and aprepitant together experienced more severe acute nausea than those who took only aprepitant ( Zick et al, 2009 ). Despite the limited and contradictory results about curcumin enhancing the function of doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity, it is necessary to conduct carefully designed research to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the new formulation of this compound during cancer treatment ( Armandeh et al, 2022 ).…”