From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2002-08-25 18:45:32 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] turmeric question
To: Sukie Crandall <sukiecrandall@telocity.com>
cc: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.44+UNC.0208251437270.37026-100000@login9.isis.unc.edu>
On Sun, 25 Aug 2002, Sukie Crandall wrote:
> Has anyone run into that report? If so, was a mechanism mentioned
> and it hypothetical or known?
Very interesting... I did a quick search in PubMed (Medline, but freely
available to the public) and found a lot of relevant articles. Curcumin
is the ingredient in tumeric that seems to be at work.One abstract is
below, but there were a lot more. Pubmed is at http://www.pubmed.org/ or
http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi The search I did was:
curcumin and colon cancer
I think your idea of using this for IBD-type things in ferrets is
fascinating!! The abstract below does say that curcumin is a "powerful
anti-inflammatory medicine." As to if it's safe for ferrets, I have no
idea. Also don't know how you'd figure out a dose, but this abstract does
say it is "without any toxic effects." This is just one article; I
didn't do more than skim this one, and I didn't read the others at all;
this is just a starting point.
---------
Curr Pharm Des 2002;8(19):1695-706
Chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin for colorectal cancer.
Chauhan DP.
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, The University of
California, San Diego, CA 92093-0688, USA. dchauhan@ucsd.edu
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the
Western world. More than 56,000 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients
die each year in the United States. Available therapies are either not
effective or have unwanted side effects. Epidemiological data suggest that
dietary manipulations play an important role in the prevention of many
human cancers. Curcumin the yellow pigment in turmeric has been widely
used for centuries in the Asian countries without any toxic effects.
Epidemiological data also suggest that curcumin may be responsible for the
lower rate of colorectal cancer in these countries. Curcumin is a
naturally occurring powerful anti-inflammatory medicine. The anticancer
properties of curcumin have been shown in cultured cells and animal
studies. Curcumin inhibits lipooxygenase activity and is a specific
inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Curcumin inhibits the initiation
of carcinogenesis by inhibiting the cytochrome P-450 enzyme activity and
increasing the levels of glutathione-S-transferase. Curcumin inhibits the
promotion/progression stages of carcinogenesis. The anti-tumor effect of
curcumin has been attributed in part to the arrest of cancer cells in S,
G2/M cell cycle phase and induction of apoptosis. Curcumin inhibits the
growth of DNA mismatch repair defective colon cancer cells. Therefore,
curcumin may have value as a safe chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment
of tumors exhibiting DNA mismatch repair deficient and microsatellite
instable phenotype. Curcumin should be considered as a safe, non-toxic and
easy to use chemotherapeutic agent for colorectal cancers arise in the
setting of chromosomal instability as well as microsatellite instability.
PMID: 12171541 [PubMed - in process]
--------
Best wishes,
-Pam S.