Curcumin Activates Tumor Suppressive Signaling Pathway

In more than half of colorectal cancer cases, mutations silence a crucial protective mechanism in cells: the tumor suppressor gene p53. The product of this gene induces a microRNA molecule miR-34, which plays a key role in tumor suppression. Using mouse models, a LMU research team has successfully demonstrated that curcumin, a natural substance found in turmeric, the popular plant of the ginger family, activates an alternate, specific signaling pathway that induces miR-34 expression, thereby reactivating the muted protective mechanism.

Notably, the curcumin effect is independent of p53, which is invariably lost in the majority of tumor types and is difficult to reconstitute in all tumor cells. Curcumin intervene in the signal cascade beneath p53 by activating miR-34. Further studies, the authors believe, can help develop radical approaches to pave the way for new therapeutic possibilities

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