Abstract
Curcumin (turmeric) is the main ingredient of the Chinese herbal turmeric rhizome,
used to treat tumors, diabetes, inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular
diseases, metabolic syndrome, and liver diseases. The antitumor effects of curcumin
have received even more attention. One of the main mechanisms of the antitumor effects
includes inhibition of tumor invasion and migration, induction of tumor cell apoptosis,
and inhibition of various cell signaling pathways. It has been found that the antitumor
biological activity of curcumin in the body is associated with epigenetic mechanisms.
That also implies that curcumin may act as a potential epigenetic modulator to influence
the development of tumor diseases. The immune system plays an essential role in the
development of tumorigenesis. Tumor immunotherapy is currently one of the most promising
research directions in the field of tumor therapy. Curcumin has been found to have
significant regulatory effects on tumor
immunity and is expected to be a novel adjuvant for tumor immunity. This paper summarizes
the antitumor effects of curcumin from four aspects: molecular and epigenetic mechanisms
of curcumin against a tumor, mechanisms of curcumin modulation of tumor immunotherapy,
reversal of chemotherapy resistance, and a novel drug delivery system of curcumin,
which provide new directions for the development of new antitumor drugs.
Keywords
Curcuma longa.
- Zingiberaceae - turmeric - curcumin - antitumor molecular mechanism - epigenetics
- tumor immunity - drug delivery system