Recent advances of curcumin and its analogues in breast cancer prevention and treatment

Abstract

More than 230,000 diagnosed cases of invasive breast cancer in women was estimated in 2014 and an expected 40,000 deaths attributed to the aggressive carcinoma. An effective approach to diminish the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer is the development of chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents. Nutraceuticals have demonstrated their ability to proficiently halt carcinogenesis. The administration of natural compounds able to effectively serve as chemoprevention and chemotherapeutics without causing harm or adverse effects is imperative. Curcumin derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., is a common spice of India, used for centuries because of its medicinal properties. The main component of curcumin possesses a wide range of biological activities; anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and apoptotic characteristics modulated through the inactivation of pathways such as EGK and Akt/mTOR. In addition, curcumin alters the expression of cytokines, transcription factors, and enzymes involved in cell vitality. The in vivo application of curcumin in breast cancer is hindered by its limited bioavailabiity. The synthesis of curcumin analogues and delivery via nanoparticles has demonstrated enhanced bioavailability of curcumin in the malignancy. This review focuses on recent developments in the use of curcumin, curcumin analogues, and novel delivery systems as a preventive and therapeutic method for breast cancer.

Synthesis, evaluation of cytotoxic properties of promising curcumin analogues and investigation of possible molecular mechanisms

“…Curcumin, a natural polyphenol which is used as a food colourant, and herbal medicine in Asia. Curcumin has received a lot of attention recently due to its high‐safety profile and efficacy in treating various diseases . Potential anticancer activities associated with curcumin make it a promising therapeutic agent.…”

“…Curcumin has received a lot of attention recently due to its high-safety profile and efficacy in treating various diseases. [1][2][3] Potential anticancer activities associated with curcumin make it a promising therapeutic agent. Apart from anticancer activity, it has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, chemotherapeutic, antimicrobial and antifungal activities.…”

Influence of Hydrocolloids (Dietary Fibers) on Lipid Digestion of Protein‐Stabilized Emulsions: Comparison of Neutral, Anionic, and Cationic Polysaccharides

“…Dietary fibers may be incorporated into foods to improve physical stability, modify texture, reduce fat content, or provide health benefits (Viuda‐Martos and others ; Funami ; Cirillo and Capasso ). Lipids are also commonly used in many foods and beverages as functional ingredients to provide desirable flavor, mouthfeel, or textural characteristics (Kupirovic and others ), or as a source of nutrients, vitamins, and nutraceuticals (McClements and others ; Aras and others ; Farias and others ; Mannarino and others ; Mock and others ). The release and solubilization of health‐promoting vitamins and nutraceuticals within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) often depends on hydrolysis of the lipid phase that they are originally solubilized within (Yao and others ; Mao and Miao ; McClements and others ).…”

Naturally occurring compounds acting as potent anti‐metastatic agents and their suppressing effects on Hedgehog and WNT/β‐catenin signalling pathways

“…As mentioned earlier, utilizing current nutraceuticals, phytochemicals or more widely naturally occurring compounds can result in synergistic effects through blocking different ENT‐involved signalling pathways . For instance, concurrent administration of curcumin with Tamoxifen, Daunorubicin, Cisplatin and Vincristine was shown to re‐sensitize resistant cancer cells to these conventional compounds . In other studies by li et al.…”

“…14 For instance, concurrent administration of curcumin with Tamoxifen, Daunorubicin, Cisplatin and Vincristine was shown to resensitize resistant cancer cells to these conventional compounds. 15 In other studies by li et al and Youngjoo et al, 16,17 it was demonstrated that oligogalactans of apple increase the growth inhibitory effect of COX-2 inhibitors in a colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Addition of other phytochemicals such as quercetins together with curcumin resulted in even more beneficial effects compared to curcumin therapy alone.…”