“Dilaw na Luya” Shows promise Vs Breast Cancer

By: Tessa R. Salazar

(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Among the many super plant foods humanity was gifted with, curcumin (dilaw na luya in the vernacular) typically standsout –so much so that scientist have dubbed it “curecumin”.

This plant, previously associated only with its yellow spice called curry, has been undergoing clinical trials in prestigious scientific institutions across the world (12 active clinical trials of curcumin are ongoing in the United States, Israel and Hong Kong). Some of these trials are studying the effects of curcumin on colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis,epilepsy, gall bladder cancer and cervical cancer, among others.

The only downside the curcumin, it seems, its poor bioavailability (absorption) into the human body. Other  than that, however the benefits of curcumin are tantalizing the medical community. These benefits include depleting cells of Her2/neu protein (responsible for a certain types of breast cancer) in short treatments in cellular experiments.

The Her2/neu type of cancer, which affects 30 percent of breast cancer patients, has poor prognosis.

Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, professor of Cancer Medicine (Biochemistry) and chief of Cytokine Research Lab at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, whom this writer was able to interview over the phone a few months ago, sent a copy of his commentary (coauthored by Ajay Goel, Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara) published by Elsevier Inc. in Science Direct in 2007.

Accumulating Evidence

The commentary cited accumulating evidence showing curcumin's molecular targets as transcription factor's, growth factors and their receptors, cytokines, enzymes and genes regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis (cancer cell death).

One example showed that most human cancer cells over express epidermal growth factor receptor (EFGR) and Her2/neu, which ultimately stimulates the proliferation of cancer cells. "Cellular experiments in vitro have shown that short-term treatment with curcumin inhibits EFGR kinase activity cells and depletes Her2/neu protein," Aggarwal said.

A previous clinical trial by Aggarwal and his colleagues has also shown that curcumin is safe even at high doses (as much as 12g/ day) in humans.

"Despite the lower bio availability, the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin against various human diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and Crohn's disease, has been documented. The enhanced bio availability of curcumin in the near future is likely to bring this promising natural product to the forefront of the therapeutic agents for the treatment of human disease, "Aggarwal concluded.