An Overview of the Enhanced Effects of Curcumin and Chemotherapeutic Agents in Combined Cancer Treatments

Abstract

Due to the progressive ageing of the human population, the number of cancer cases is increasing. For this reason, there is an urgent need for new treatments that can prolong the lives of cancer patients or ensure them a good quality of life. Although significant progress has been made in the treatment of cancer in recent years and the survival rate of patients is increasing, limitations in the use of conventional therapies include the frequent occurrence of side effects and the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. These limitations are prompting researchers to investigate whether combining natural agents with conventional drugs could have a positive therapeutic effect in cancer treatment. Several natural bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, have been shown to be effective against cancer progression and do not exert toxic effects on healthy tissues. Many studies have investigated the possibility of combining polyphenols with conventional drugs as a novel anticancer strategy. Indeed, this combination often has synergistic benefits that increase drug efficacy and reduce adverse side effects. In this review, we provide an overview of the studies describing the synergistic effects of curcumin, a polyphenol that has been shown to have extensive cytotoxic functions against cancer cells, including combined treatment. In particular, we have described the results of recent preclinical and clinical studies exploring the pleiotropic effects of curcumin in combination with standard drugs and the potential to consider it as a promising new tool for cancer therapy.

Advances in Nanocarrier Systems for Overcoming Formulation Challenges of Curcumin: Current Insights

“…This targeted delivery is particularly valuable in tumor therapy and inflammatory diseases. Curcumin can be co-delivered with other therapeutic agents or drugs within nanocarriers to create synergistic effects, enhancing the overall therapeutic outcome [ 14 ]. The combination of curcumin with other drugs in a co-delivery system presents several advantages, including decreased drug resistance, improved bioavailability, and enhanced bioactivity through the targeted localization of curcumin.…”

“…As a result, it is currently available as a dietary supplement globally [ 13 ]. The efficiency of the combined therapy of curcumin with chemotherapeutic agents was reviewed recently [ 14 ].…”

Folate-Targeted Nanocarriers Co-Deliver Ganciclovir and miR-34a-5p for Combined Anti-KSHV Therapy

“…Due to the complexity of the KSHV infection site, monotherapeutic agents cannot achieve satisfactory therapeutic effects. At present, combination therapy based on nanotechnology is becoming an important model of the advanced enhancement of anti-cancer effects [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. One promising anti-KSHV strategy is the design of nanocarriers that can simultaneously load GCV and miR-34a-5p and deliver these two drugs to the KSHV infection site as an anti-KSHV drug combination.…”