Curcumin / mTOR Cancer Research Results

CUR, Curcumin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in Tumeric. Member of the ginger family.Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from turmeric with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Has iron-chelating, iron-chelating properties. Ferritin. But still known to increase Iron in Cancer cells.
- GSH depletion in cancer cells, exhaustion of the antioxidant defense system. But still raises GSH↑ in normal cells.
- Higher concentrations (5-10 μM) of curcumin induce autophagy and ROS production
- Inhibition of TrxR, shifting the enzyme from an antioxidant to a prooxidant
- Strong inhibitor of Glo-I, , causes depletion of cellular ATP and GSH
- Curcumin has been found to act as an activator of Nrf2, (maybe bad in cancer cells?), hence could be combined with Nrf2 knockdown
-may suppress CSC: suppresses self-renewal and pathways (Wnt/Notch/Hedgehog).
Clinical studies testing curcumin in cancer patients have used a range of dosages, often between 500 mg and 8 g per day; however, many studies note that doses on the lower end may not achieve sufficient plasma concentrations for a therapeutic anticancer effect in humans.
• Formulations designed to improve curcumin absorption (like curcumin combined with piperine, nanoparticle formulations, or liposomal curcumin) are often employed in clinical trials to enhance its bioavailability.

-Note half-life 6 hrs.
BioAv is poor, use piperine or other enhancers
Pathways:
- induce ROS production at high concentration. Lowers ROS at lower concentrations
curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant when blue light is applied
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: GSH↓ Catalase↓ HO1↓ GPx↓
but conversely is known as a NRF2↑ activator in cancer
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMT1↓, DNMT3A↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓,
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓, TET1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, FGF↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, CK2↓, Hh↓, GLi1↓, CD133↓, CD24↓, β-catenin↓, n-myc↓, sox2↓, OCT4↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK↓, ERK↓, JNK, TrxR**,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activation ↓ inflammatory NF-κB tone Driver Suppression of survival and inflammatory transcription NF-κB is a primary, repeatedly validated curcumin target explaining pleiotropic downstream effects
2 STAT3 signaling ↓ STAT3 phosphorylation / activity ↔ or mild suppression Driver Loss of pro-survival and proliferative signaling STAT3 inhibition contributes to growth arrest, apoptosis sensitization, and reduced cytokine signaling in tumors
3 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (dose- & context-dependent) ↓ ROS / buffered Conditional Driver Biphasic redox modulation Curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant in cancer cells with high basal stress while acting antioxidant in normal cells
4 Mitochondrial integrity / intrinsic apoptosis ↓ ΔΨm; ↑ caspase activation ↔ preserved Driver Execution of intrinsic apoptosis Mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation occur downstream of NF-κB/STAT3 and ROS effects
5 PI3K → AKT → mTOR axis ↓ AKT / ↓ mTOR ↔ or adaptive suppression Secondary Reduced growth and anabolic signaling AKT/mTOR inhibition contributes to growth suppression and autophagy induction in cancer cells
6 Autophagy ↑ autophagy (protective or pro-death) ↑ adaptive autophagy Secondary Stress adaptation vs cell death Autophagy may be cytoprotective or cooperate with apoptosis depending on context and dose
7 HIF-1α / VEGF hypoxia–angiogenesis axis ↓ HIF-1α; ↓ VEGF ↔ minimal effect Secondary Anti-angiogenic pressure Suppression of hypoxia-driven transcription limits angiogenesis and tumor adaptation
8 Cell cycle regulation ↑ G2/M or G1 arrest ↔ largely spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth control Cell-cycle arrest reflects upstream signaling and epigenetic effects rather than direct CDK inhibition
9 Migration / invasion (EMT, MMP axis) ↓ migration & invasion ↔ Phenotypic Anti-metastatic phenotype Reduced EMT markers and protease activity limit invasive behavior
10 Epigenetic regulation (p300/CBP HAT activity) ↓ histone acetylation ↔ modest Secondary Transcriptional reprogramming Curcumin modulates chromatin via HAT inhibition rather than classic HDAC inhibition


mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin: Click to Expand ⟱
Source: HalifaxProj (inhibit)
Type:
mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) is a central regulator of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. It is a serine/threonine kinase that integrates signals from nutrients, growth factors, and cellular energy status.
mTOR promotes protein synthesis and cell growth by activating downstream targets such as S6 kinase and 4E-BP1. In cancer, this pathway can become hyperactivated, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation.

mTor Inhibitors:
-rapamycin (Sirolimus): classic natural product mTOR inhibitor
-Curcumin
-Resveratrol
-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
-Honokiol
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
3861- CUR,    Curcumin as a novel therapeutic candidate for cancer: can this natural compound revolutionize cancer treatment?
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, *Inflam↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin/ZEB1↓, NF-kB↓, HH↓, NOTCH↓, JAK↓, STAT3↓, ADAM10↓,
3795- CUR,    Curcumin: A Golden Approach to Healthy Aging: A Systematic Review of the Evidence
- Review, AD, NA
*antiOx↑, *Inflam↓, *AntiAge↑, *AMPK↑, *SIRT1↑, *NF-kB↓, *mTOR↓, *NLRP3↓, *NADPH↓, *ROS↓, *COX2↓, *MCP1↓, *IL1β↓, *IL17↓, *IL23↓, *TNF-α↓, *MPO↓, *IL10↑, *lipid-P↓, *SOD↑, *Aβ↓, *p‑tau↓, *GSK‐3β↓, *CDK5↓, *TXNIP↓, *NRF2↑, *NQO1↑, *HO-1↑, *OS↑, *memory↑, *BDNF↑, *neuroP↑, *BACE↓, *AChE↓, *LDL↓,
4710- CUR,    mTOR_signaling_pathway">Curcumin inhibits migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer cells through up-regulation of miR-206 and suppression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
- in-vitro, Lung, A549
TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, miR-206↑, p‑mTOR↓, p‑Akt↓,
2304- CUR,    Curcumin decreases Warburg effect in cancer cells by down-regulating pyruvate kinase M2 via mTOR-HIF1α inhibition
- in-vitro, Lung, H1299 - in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, Cerv, HeLa - in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, Nor, HEK293
Glycolysis↓, GlucoseCon↓, lactateProd↓, PKM2↓, mTOR↓, Hif1a↓, selectivity↑, Dose↝, tumCV↓,
2307- CUR,    Cell-Type Specific Metabolic Response of Cancer Cells to Curcumin
- in-vitro, Colon, HT29 - in-vitro, Laryn, FaDu
PKM2↓, Warburg↓, mTOR↓, Hif1a↓, Glycolysis↓,
2821- CUR,    Antioxidant curcumin induces oxidative stress to kill tumor cells (Review)
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, *NRF2↑, *ROS↓, *Inflam↓, ROS↑, p‑ERK↑, ER Stress↑, mtDam↑, Apoptosis↑, Akt↓, mTOR↓, HO-1↑, Fenton↑, GSH↓, Iron↑, p‑JNK↑, Cyt‑c↑, ATF6↑, CHOP↑,
457- CUR,    Curcumin regulates proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by affecting PI3K and P53 signaling
- in-vitro, GC, SGC-7901 - in-vitro, GC, BGC-823
TumCP↓, Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, P53↑, PI3K↓, P21↑, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓, Bcl-2↓, Bcl-xL↓, LC3I↓, BAX↑, Beclin-1↑, cl‑Casp3↑, cl‑PARP↑, LC3II↑, ATG3↑, ATG5↑,
471- CUR,    Curcumin induces apoptotic cell death and protective autophagy by inhibiting AKT/mTOR/p70S6K pathway in human ovarian cancer cells
- in-vitro, Ovarian, SKOV3 - in-vitro, Ovarian, A2780S
Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, p62↓, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓, p‑P70S6K↓, Casp9↑, PARP↑, ATG3↑, Beclin-1↑, LC3‑Ⅱ/LC3‑Ⅰ↑,
435- CUR,    Antitumor activity of curcumin by modulation of apoptosis and autophagy in human lung cancer A549 cells through inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway
- in-vitro, Lung, A549
Apoptosis↑, TumAuto↑, LC3‑Ⅱ/LC3‑Ⅰ↑, Beclin-1↑, p62↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓,
445- CUR,    Curcumin Regulates the Progression of Colorectal Cancer via LncRNA NBR2/AMPK Pathway
- in-vitro, CRC, HCT116 - in-vitro, CRC, HCT8 - in-vitro, CRC, SW480 - in-vitro, CRC, SW-620
p‑AMPK↑, p‑ACC-α↑, NBR2↑, p‑S6K↓, mTOR↓,
452- CUR,    Curcumin downregulates the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and inhibits growth and progression in head and neck cancer cells
- vitro+vivo, HNSCC, SCC9 - vitro+vivo, HNSCC, FaDu - vitro+vivo, HNSCC, HaCaT
TumCCA↑, PI3k/Akt/mTOR↓, Casp3↑, EGFR↓, EGF↑, PRKCG↑, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓, RPS6KA1↓, EIF4E↓, proCasp3↓,
476- CUR,    The effects of curcumin on proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and NEDD4 expression in pancreatic cancer
- in-vitro, PC, PATU-8988 - in-vitro, PC, PANC1
TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, Apoptosis↑, NEDD9↓, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓, PTEN↑, p73↑, β-TRCP↑,
140- CUR,    Curcumin inhibits cancer-associated fibroblast-driven prostate cancer invasion through MAOA/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3
CAFs/TAFs↓, EMT↓, ROS↓, CXCR4↓, IL6↓, MAOA↓, mTOR↓, HIF-1↓,
123- CUR,    Synthesis of novel 4-Boc-piperidone chalcones and evaluation of their cytotoxic activity against highly-metastatic cancer cells
- in-vitro, Colon, LoVo - in-vitro, Colon, COLO205 - in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, Pca, 22Rv1
NF-kB↓, ATF3↑, HO-1↑, Wnt↓, Akt↓, mTOR↓, PTEN↑, Apoptosis↑, TGF-β↓, PPARγ↑,
425- CUR,    Curcumin inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of breast cancer cells
- in-vitro, BC, T47D - in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-468
CDC25↓, cDC2↓, P21↑, p‑Akt↓, p‑mTOR↓, Bcl-2↓, BAX↑, Casp3↑,
168- CUR,    Curcumin inhibits Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling through protein phosphatase-dependent mechanism
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3
Akt↓, mTOR↓, AMPK↑, TAp63α↑, TumCP↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 16 of 16

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 16

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ATF3↑, 1,   Fenton↑, 1,   GSH↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 2,   Iron↑, 1,   ROS↓, 1,   ROS↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

CDC25↓, 1,   EGF↑, 1,   mtDam↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

p‑ACC-α↑, 1,   AMPK↑, 1,   p‑AMPK↑, 1,   GlucoseCon↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 2,   lactateProd↓, 1,   PI3k/Akt/mTOR↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 2,   PPARγ↑, 1,   p‑S6K↓, 1,   Warburg↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 5,   p‑Akt↓, 7,   Apoptosis↑, 6,   BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   cl‑Casp3↑, 1,   proCasp3↓, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   β-TRCP↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

ATF6↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 1,   ER Stress↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

ATG3↑, 2,   ATG5↑, 1,   Beclin-1↑, 3,   LC3‑Ⅱ/LC3‑Ⅰ↑, 2,   LC3I↓, 1,   LC3II↑, 1,   p62↓, 2,   TumAuto↑, 3,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

NBR2↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   p73↑, 1,   PARP↑, 1,   cl‑PARP↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

P21↑, 2,   TAp63α↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

cDC2↓, 1,   EIF4E↓, 1,   EMT↓, 1,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   HH↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 9,   p‑mTOR↓, 7,   NOTCH↓, 1,   p‑P70S6K↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 3,   PRKCG↑, 1,   PTEN↑, 2,   RPS6KA1↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,   Wnt↓, 2,  

Migration ⓘ

CAFs/TAFs↓, 1,   miR-206↑, 1,   NEDD9↓, 1,   TGF-β↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 2,   TumCMig↓, 2,   TumCP↓, 2,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

EGFR↓, 1,   HIF-1↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 2,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

CXCR4↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   JAK↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 2,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

ADAM10↓, 1,   MAOA↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Dose↝, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 90

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 3,   HO-1↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   MPO↓, 1,   NQO1↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 2,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 1,   LDL↓, 1,   NADPH↓, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

GSK‐3β↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

CDK5↓, 1,   TXNIP↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL10↑, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL23↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 3,   MCP1↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

AChE↓, 1,   BDNF↑, 1,   p‑tau↓, 1,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

Aβ↓, 1,   BACE↓, 1,   NLRP3↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiAge↑, 1,   memory↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   OS↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 35

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin
16 Curcumin
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:65  Target#:209  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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