For decades, people around the
world have awaited not only a cure, but even an effective means of slowing down
the progression of mesothelioma in the body. Unfortunately, the cancer’s cells
are so aggressive, they typically have a poor response to traditional cancer
treatments, such as radiation and chemotherapy. However, Japanese researchers
in Tokyo may have stumbled on what could develop into a potential treatment –
and it’s probably in your pantry right now.
Curcumin is the main ingredient
in the spice we know as turmeric, which is an ancient spice used around the
world for both food and health purposes. Native to South Asia, turmeric has
been used in laboratory tests to treat human mesothelioma cells, and although
it does not kill the cells, it has been shown to limit their viability in the
lab. Furthermore, in 2011, curcumin was fed to live mice that had mesothelioma,
in which case lab results revealed that the spice promoted cancer cell death in
the animals.
This is not the first time
turmeric has acquired the spotlight for medicinal purposes. For years, lab
tests have shown that the spice has the ability to slow the progression of
cancer cells in the body, and it has been promoted at numerous cancer centers
throughout the U.S. for use in conjunction with traditional methods of treating
skin cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma and lupus.
However, despite its obvious
potential, the newest lab study will not confirm that the spice may help treat
mesothelioma cells without further research. According to Y. Yamauchi, the lead
investigator of the lab tests conducted at Keio University in Tokyo, “Curcumin,
which has a long history as a dietary spice, is known to suppress the growth of
multiple cancer lines, but the effects on mesothelioma cells are not well-defined.”
Ultimately, the latest Japanese
study of curcumin by no means refutes the reports and findings of other studies
of the spice for cancer treatment, but it also does not fully confirm the
findings either. However, researchers do acknowledge that the recent study on
curcumin is essential to developing new, more effective ways of treating
mesothelioma.
Turmeric, a spice used in Asian
cooking, is a common food flavoring and coloring that shows promise in fighting
cancer. Turmeric has historically been used in herbal remedies in Asia. The
active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin, as an antioxidant, is
known to supply protection to cells from damage caused by free radicals.
Animal and laboratory studies
have confirmed curcumin’s potential as an anticancer agent, interfering with
molecular pathways needed for cancer’s development, growth and eventual
spreading. Laboratory research has found that curcumin can kill cancer cells
and slow the growth of those which survive. Research involving animals has
produced impressive results of curcumin shrinking several different types of
tumors and working as an enzyme inhibitor for cancer-causing enzymes in
rodents.
By submitting, I consent to the
terms of the Privacy Policy and Disclaimer. Before sending we will also call
you to confirm your address and information.
Tumors of the skin, as well as of
the esophagus, mouth, intestines, breast and stomach, are believed by some
researchers to be prevented or slowed in their growth by turmeric. As exciting
as this is, clinical research involving humans is necessary to determine
turmeric's real potential as a cancer fighter and is in its very early stage.
One of the first steps of clinical cancer trials is finding the maximum safe
dosage of curcumin.
Curcumin has shown it can be
detected in the blood at 3.6 grams; patients have been able to take up to 10
grams a day for a few weeks without ill effects. Lower amounts could work for
cancers of the stomach and intestine, since curcumin is mostly absorbed in the
colon. One area of research is finding ways to increase absorption by combining
curcumin with other substances. While
turmeric is safe when used as a spice, research is needed to determine its
safety as an herbal remedy. Taken by mouth large amounts of the spice might
cause intestinal problems and those who are allergic to ginger or yellow food
coloring should avoid it.
It is important to note that
curcumin is an extracted compound taken from turmeric and would not have the
same effects as the whole herb. Certain people should avoid turmeric, such as
those taking blood-thinners, immune suppressing drugs, non steroid pain
relievers (ibuprofen), and some anti-cancer drugs due to the risk of drug
interaction. It is important for
patients to always keep their physician and pharmacist informed about any herbs
or supplements they may be taking. This is especially important for those in
cancer treatment.
Not the best of days, anther
really poor nights sleep left him zoned
out today, no interest or energy in anything. Had hoped to get him out for a
short walk but no chance. He has resorted to a sleeping tablet tonight , will
also need to take another one
tomorrow as chemo is on Tuesday.
Back on the steroids as well tomorrow, the start of the five day
course of dexamethasone. He did manage to take the extra supplements today ,
including the new tumeric ones.
Recent study conducted by the
Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit, Michigan showed an extract of turmeric
can help kill off mesothelioma cancer cells. The extract curcumin when combined
with chemotherapy can cause apoptosis, or cell death.
Mesothelioma is very difficult to
treat with chemotherapy or radiation because the apoptosis pathways are
disrupted by tumor growth.
The Karmanos Cancer Institute
found that curcumin can re-build the neural pathways that help kill off cancer
cells. Oral dosages of curcumin given
both to laboratory mice and humans were shown to suppress the growth of
malignant mesothelioma cells. Pretreatment of curcumin has also made malignant
cells more responsive to cisplatin, the drug commonly used to treat
mesothelioma.
Of course absolutely no idea what
dosage levels are involved in these trials , but working on the theory it can’t
do any harm, have introduced it as part of his supplements.
He hasn’t eaten much these last
couple of days , mainly because he has so little interest in anything. Did make
him quorn mince and tatties tonight , along with some carrots ( note comment
from yesterday!) As he has headed off to bed am now sitting here with large
glass of white wine ( from same bottle as last night – not turning to drink
just yet ) and praying for a better day tomorrow.
There’s more evidence that cancer
researchers might do well to spice up their mesothelioma clinical trials.
A team of researchers at Keio
University in Tokyo report that curcumin, the primary component in the spice
turmeric, can effectively reduce the viability of human mesothelioma cells in
the laboratory. This, despite the fact
that mesothelioma is notoriously resistant to many types of conventional cancer
therapies.
“Curcumin, which has a long
history as a dietary spice, is known to suppress the growth of multiple cancer
lines, but the effects on mesothelioma cells are not well-defined,” observed
principal investigator Y. Yamauchi in Phytotherapy Research. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of
internal membranes, triggered by asbestos exposure. Citing mesothelioma’s
well-known treatment resistance, Yamauchi says alternative agents like curcumin
are important to help formulate new treatment strategies.
To test the role of curcumin in
fighting mesothelioma, the Japanese team exposed ACC-MESO-1 cells, a human
mesothelioma cell line, to the compound in their laboratory. The curcumin
increased the cancer cells’ expression of the proteins LC3B-II/LC3B-I and
triggered an increase in autophagy, the process by which cells naturally break
down and recycle their own components. “From these findings it was speculated
that induction of autophagy was at least in part involved in the reduction of
cell viability by curcumin,” says the report.
The new research appears to at
least partially confirm the findings of a 2011 study that demonstrated that
curcumin has a damaging effect on human mesothelioma cells in the lab, as well
as on live mesothelioma cells in mice. In that study, conducted at the John D.
Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, curcumin was found to disrupt the cell
cycle and promote apoptosis (cell death) whether added to cells in a dish or fed
to mice that had mesothelioma.
While the new study stopped short
of saying that curcumin could trigger apoptosis in mesothelioma cells, it did
find that autophagy in treated cells increased with an increased curcumin dose.
Curcumin has been shown to have an impact on a variety of cancers and has many
advocates in cancer centers around the country.
If you are interested in using
curcumin to help manage mesothelioma or any other cancer, disease or illness be
sure to speak with your licensed healthcare provider.
New research suggests a common
spice used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking can reduce the viability
of pleural mesothelioma cells.
A Japanese team at Keio
University in Yokohama exposed a human mesothelioma cell line, ACC-MESO-1, to
curcumin, a derivative of the Indian spice turmeric. The researchers report
that curcumin increased the expression of certain proteins in the cancer cells,
trigging an increase in autophagy, a process that rids cells of harmful debris
and is crucial to the survival of healthy cells.
The lead researcher, Takahira
Yamaguchi, said the findings suggest “induction of autophagy was at least in
part involved in the reduction of cell viability by curcumin.”
Curcumin is the biologically
active component of turmeric, a member of the ginger family. Hundreds of
studies have investigated its potential to fight and treat diseases, including
Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer, and research has intensified in recent years
as evidence of curcumin’s low toxicity and health effects accumulates.
In 2005, the University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported that curcumin inhibits metastasis to the
lungs of mice with breast cancer. The researchers said the spice “appears to
shut down” a protein active in the spread of the cancer.
That same year, researchers at
UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center showed that, after applying the
spice directly to tumors, curcumin suppressed the growth of head and neck
cancer. In 2010, the Jonsson researchers, Marilene Wang and Eri Srivatsan,
discovered that curcumin combined with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin
suppresses the growth of cancer cells in the head and neck.
More recently, Wang and Srivatsan
gave 21 patients with neck and head cancers 1,000 milligrams of curcumin in
chewable tablets. An hour later, they extracted proteins from saliva samples,
and measurements found that curcumin binds to and prevents an enzyme known as
IKK from activating a pathway that promotes cancer growth.
The Japanese researchers noted
that curcurmin’s effects on pleural mesothelioma cells is not “well defined”
and requires much more study. The disease, caused by asbestos exposure, attacks
the lining of the lung. It has a long latency period and is typically diagnosed
in later stages. Chemotherapy and radiation have only limited effects on the
disease, and most patients die within a year or two of diagnosis.
But earlier research at John D.
Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit examined the biological and molecular
responses of pleural mesothelioma cells to curcumin. That study, which involved
mesothelioma cells in the lab and injected into mice, suggests the spice can
disrupt the cell cycle and promote apoptosis, or cell death.