Curcumin / ER Stress Cancer Research Results

CUR, Curcumin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in Turmeric. 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).

Curcumin — Curcumin is a turmeric-derived polyphenolic curcuminoid and diarylheptanoid from Curcuma longa, functionally best classified as a natural-product small molecule / nutraceutical candidate with pleiotropic redox, inflammatory, transcriptional, metabolic, and chemosensitizing activity. The standard abbreviation is CUR. It is the principal active pigment of turmeric rhizome, usually studied as purified curcumin, curcuminoid mixtures, turmeric extract, phytosomal curcumin, liposomal curcumin, nanoparticle curcumin, or piperine-enhanced formulations. Its oncology relevance is mechanistically broad but clinically constrained by poor aqueous solubility, rapid metabolism, low free systemic exposure, formulation variability, and insufficient well-powered cancer outcome trials.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. Suppression of NF-κB / STAT3 inflammatory-survival signaling, reducing cytokine, COX-2, iNOS, anti-apoptotic, invasion, and treatment-resistance programs.
  2. Biphasic redox modulation: ROS buffering in normal/inflamed tissue but ROS↑, GSH depletion, thioredoxin reductase disruption, and oxidative stress amplification in susceptible cancer models at sufficient exposure.
  3. Mitochondrial injury and intrinsic apoptosis, including mitochondrial membrane potential loss, cytochrome-c release, caspase activation, PARP cleavage, and ER-stress/UPR involvement.
  4. PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathway modulation, contributing to growth arrest, autophagy modulation, apoptosis sensitization, and reduced survival signaling.
  5. Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog/GLI, Notch, and cancer-stem-cell suppression, reducing stemness, EMT, invasion, and recurrence-associated phenotypes in models.
  6. Hypoxia / HIF-1α and glycolysis inhibition, including reduced GLUT1, HK2, LDHA, PKM2, lactate/ECAR, and Warburg-like metabolic support in selected models.
  7. Anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic modulation, including VEGF, MMPs, uPA, CXCR4/SDF-1, TGF-β/α-SMA, FAK, and EMT-related axes.
  8. Epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming, including reported HDAC, DNMT, EZH2, Sp-family, p53, and microRNA-related effects.
  9. NRF2 modulation: generally cytoprotective in normal cells but potentially protective for cancer cells when NRF2 is activated; NRF2 suppression/knockdown can increase curcumin-induced ROS stress in some tumor models.
  10. Chemosensitization and radiosensitization, with parallel normal-tissue protective signals reported in some mucositis, dermatitis, oxidative-stress, and radioprotection contexts.

Bioavailability / PK relevance: Conventional oral curcumin has poor systemic bioavailability because of low solubility, low absorption, rapid conjugation, and rapid elimination. Oral trials have used doses up to gram-level daily dosing, but circulating free curcumin is typically low; measured plasma exposure often reflects conjugated curcumin. Piperine, phospholipid/phytosome, micellar, liposomal, nanoparticle, and other enhanced formulations can raise exposure, but each formulation should be treated as a distinct translational entity. Delivery constraints are central for oncology interpretation.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Common in-vitro anticancer concentrations, often in the low-to-mid micromolar range and sometimes higher, frequently exceed achievable free plasma exposure from standard oral curcumin. Therefore, direct systemic anticancer claims from cell culture should be weighted cautiously unless supported by tissue-local exposure, enhanced formulation data, local delivery, IV/liposomal delivery, or clinically measured pharmacodynamic biomarkers.

Clinical evidence status: Preclinical evidence is extensive; human oncology evidence is mainly small human, biomarker, pilot, chemoprevention, adjunctive, symptom-management, and formulation trials. Current authoritative oncology summaries judge evidence inadequate to recommend curcumin-containing products as cancer treatment or as routine adjunct anticancer therapy, although symptom-support areas such as oral mucositis, radiation dermatitis, oxidative-status measures, and quality of life have more suggestive but still confirmatory-level evidence.


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

Curcumin Cancer Mechanism Ranking

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 NF-κB / STAT3 inflammatory survival signaling NF-κB ↓; STAT3 ↓; IL-6/TNF-α/COX-2/iNOS ↓; Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/survivin programs ↓ Inflammatory tone ↓; tissue-protective anti-inflammatory effect likely context-dependent R/G Reduced survival, inflammation, invasion, and therapy-resistance signaling Most central and industry-relevant axis; explains many downstream effects but is not curcumin-specific.
2 Biphasic redox stress and antioxidant buffering ROS ↑ (dose-dependent); GSH ↓; antioxidant reserve ↓; oxidative apoptosis ↑ ROS ↓; NRF2/SOD/GSH/catalase/HO-1 often ↑ in stress models R/G Selective redox pressure in susceptible tumor cells with normal-cell protection in lower-stress settings Direction depends strongly on concentration, formulation, light exposure, basal redox state, and tumor antioxidant capacity.
3 Thioredoxin reductase and GSH linked redox systems TrxR inhibition or redox cycling ↑; GSH depletion ↑; oxidative stress ↑ Usually buffered or antioxidant response ↑ at non-toxic exposure R/G Collapse of tumor redox compensation Mechanistically important for ROS amplification and radiosensitization; achievable exposure remains a major constraint.
4 Mitochondrial depolarization and intrinsic apoptosis ΔΨm ↓; cytochrome-c ↑; caspase-3/9 ↑; PARP cleavage ↑; apoptosis ↑ Generally ↔ or protected under oxidative/inflammatory stress R/G Execution of apoptosis after upstream redox and survival-signal disruption Central cytotoxic endpoint in many cell models; often downstream of ROS, ER stress, AKT/mTOR suppression, or p53 modulation.
5 PI3K / AKT / mTOR and autophagy balance PI3K ↓; AKT ↓; mTOR ↓; survival signaling ↓; autophagy ↑ or mixed Stress-adaptive autophagy ↔ or ↑ (context-dependent) R/G Growth suppression and apoptosis sensitization Autophagy may be cytotoxic or protective depending on model and timing; combination logic may require autophagy-state interpretation.
6 Wnt / β-catenin / Hedgehog / Notch stemness signaling β-catenin ↓; GLI/Hedgehog ↓; Notch ↓; CD133/CD44/OCT4/SOX2-like stemness markers ↓ Generally ↔; possible normal stem-cell effects are tissue/context-dependent G Reduced cancer stemness, EMT, self-renewal, and recurrence-associated phenotypes Important for anti-metastatic and anti-CSC positioning; evidence is mainly preclinical.
7 HIF-1α / glycolysis / Warburg metabolism HIF-1α ↓; GLUT1 ↓; HK2 ↓; LDHA ↓; PKM2 ↓; lactate/ECAR ↓; ATP stress ↑ Metabolic effects ↔ or adaptive; normal-cell toxicity depends on exposure G Reduced hypoxic adaptation and glycolytic energy support Mechanistically relevant but formulation and tissue exposure are critical; hypoxic tumors may be more relevant than normoxic cell culture.
8 EMT / invasion / metastasis matrix axis EMT ↓; MMP2/MMP9 ↓; uPA ↓; FAK ↓; CXCR4/SDF-1 ↓; migration/invasion ↓ Inflammation-linked remodeling ↓; wound-healing effects context-dependent G Anti-invasive and anti-metastatic phenotype Strongly supported in models; clinical anti-metastatic efficacy is not established.
9 VEGF / angiogenesis / hypoxia interface VEGF ↓; HIF-1α ↓; angiogenic signaling ↓ Angiogenesis modulation ↔ or ↓ (context-dependent) G Reduced tumor vascular-support signaling Overlaps with NF-κB, HIF-1α, STAT3, and inflammatory cytokine suppression.
10 Epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming HDAC ↓; DNMT1/3A ↓; EZH2 ↓; Sp proteins ↓; p53 ↑ or restored in selected models Broad transcriptional effects possible; selectivity uncertain G Reactivation of growth-control and differentiation-associated programs Biologically plausible but highly model-dependent; direct target specificity is lower than pathway-level interpretation.
11 Ferroptosis and iron redox stress Iron/redox stress ↑; lipid peroxidation ↑; GPX4/GSH axis may ↓ (model-dependent) Iron-chelation and antioxidant protection may occur (context-dependent) R/G Potential ferroptosis contribution in susceptible tumor models Curcumin can behave as an iron chelator, antioxidant, or pro-oxidant depending on exposure, formulation, and cancer redox context.
12 NRF2 cytoprotection risk NRF2 ↑ may protect tumor cells; NRF2 depletion can enhance curcumin-induced ROS stress in some models NRF2 ↑ supports antioxidant and anti-inflammatory tissue protection G Dual-edged stress-response modulation Important caution for antioxidant matrix use: NRF2 activation is favorable in normal-cell protection but may be undesirable in NRF2-addicted tumors.
13 Chemosensitization and radiosensitization Chemo response ↑; radiation response ↑; apoptosis ↑; resistance pathways ↓ Chemo/radiation injury may ↓ in mucositis, dermatitis, and oxidative-stress contexts R/G Adjunct sensitization with possible normal-tissue protection Attractive translational axis, but clinical evidence remains mainly pilot/small-study; interaction risk should be checked per regimen.
14 Clinical Translation Constraint Free systemic exposure often insufficient for direct cytotoxic extrapolation from in-vitro micromolar data Enhanced formulations may improve exposure but may also alter safety, liver-risk profile, and interaction potential G Bioavailability and formulation dominate translational interpretation Separate ordinary curcumin, turmeric extract, piperine-enhanced, phytosomal, micellar, liposomal, nanoparticle, and IV/liposomal products where possible.

TSF legend:

P: 0–30 min

R: 30 min–3 hr

G: >3 hr
ER Stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Protein expression of ATF, GRP78, and GADD153 which is a hall marker of ER stress.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and responding to various stressors, including those encountered in cancer. When cells experience stress, such as the accumulation of misfolded proteins, they activate a series of signaling pathways collectively known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR aims to restore normal function by enhancing the protein-folding capacity of the ER, degrading misfolded proteins, and, if the stress is unresolved, triggering apoptosis.
The activation of ER stress pathways can contribute to resistance against chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Cancer cells may utilize the UPR to survive treatment-induced stress, making it challenging to achieve effective therapeutic outcomes.

-ER stress-associated proteins include: phosphorylation of PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, CHOP and cleaved-caspase 12
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2635- Api,  CUR,    Synergistic Effect of Apigenin and Curcumin on Apoptosis, Paraptosis and Autophagy-related Cell Death in HeLa Cells
- in-vitro, Cerv, HeLa
TumCD↑, Treatment with a combination of apigenin and curcumin increased the expression levels of genes related to cell death in HeLa cells 1.29- to 27.6-fold.
eff↑, combination of curcumin and apigenin showed a synergistic anti-tumor effect
TumAuto↑, autophagic cell death, as well as ER stress-associated paraptosis
ER Stress↑,
Paraptosis↑,
GRP78/BiP↓, GRP78 expression was down-regulated, and massive cytoplasmic vacuolization was observed in HeLa cells
Dose↝, combined use of 0.09 μg/μl curcumin and 0.06 μg/μl apigenin showed a synergistic anti-tumor effect

6221- CUR,    Oxidative Stress and Cancer: Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin and Analogues Against Cancer
- Review, Var, NA
NF-kB↓, NF-Kβ suppression from Cur interaction led to the identification of Cur’s immunomodulatory effects
Imm↑, on various cytokines and immune related proteins such as IL-6, TNF-α, and PD-L1 and is suggested as a potential adjuvant treatment for immunotherapy
*TAC↑, In clinical trials, Cur is shown to increase total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and decrease malondialdehyde.53
*MDA↓,
ROS↑, increases overall ROS accumulation in SiHa cervical cancer cells resulting in increased autophagy and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest.54
TumAuto↑,
TumCCA↑,
Keap1↑, activate KEAP1/NRF2/ARE pathways and serve as an effective therapeutic especially in combination with 5-FU
ChemoSen↑,
ER Stress↑, administration of 1g resulted in ROS production, G1 cell cycle phase arrest, and increased ER-stress which was reversed upon addition of NAC, an ROS scavenging agent
eff↓, reversed upon addition of NAC
TrxR↓, Non-small cell lung cancer cell lines showed marked increases in apoptosis and ferroptosis driven by the analogs ability to generate ROS through TrxR inhibition.
STAT3↓, analog WZ26 increased ROS and cell death in cholangiocarcinoma via STAT3 inhibition
*BioAv↓, Studies with doses as high as 12 g/day still resulted in small amounts of traceable plasma Cur, mostly due to low absorption in the small intestine and rapid elimination in the body via the gall bladder.

6216- CUR,    Role of Turmeric and Curcumin in Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials
- Review, Var, NA
TumCG↓, Curcumin can prevent tumor growth, angiogenesis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis by modulating the expression of tumor-related non-coding RNA (ncRNA)
angioG↓,
EMT↓,
TumCI↓,
TumMeta↓,
*GutMicro↑, curcumin plays a crucial role in regulating the gut microbiota via biotransformation of curcumin and its metabolites.
*BioAv↓, one of the primary drawbacks of taking curcumin alone is its low bioavailability, which appears to be caused by poor absorption, fast metabolism, and excretion
*HO-1↑, Curcumin is an efficient inducer of hemoxygenase-1 and a powerful inhibitor of reactive oxygen-generating enzymes, such as cyclooxygenase (COX), inducible nitric oxygen synthase (iNOS), lipoxygenase, and xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase
*ROS↓,
*COX2↓,
*iNOS↓,
PKCδ↓, Curcumin is also a powerful inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and IB kinase.
EGFR↓,
NF-kB↓, It suppresses NF-κB activation and the expression of oncogenes, such as c-jun, c-fos, c-myc, Akt, PI3K, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)
cJun↓,
cFos↓,
cMyc↓,
Akt↓,
PI3K↓,
CDK4↓,
*TNF-α↓, Continuous supplementation with nanocurcumin (two 40 mg capsules/day after a meal) for 3 months suppressed expression of inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), high sensitive protein with C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)
*CRP↓,
*IL6↓,
MMP9↓, curcumin suppressed metastasis to the lung by suppressing NF-κB, MMP-9, COX-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression.
VEGF↓,
JAK↓, Curcumin remarkably inhibits JAK/STAT signaling by downregulating pro-inflammatory interleukins, such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and MCP-1.
STAT↓,
IL1↓,
IL2↓,
IL6↓,
IL8↓,
IL12↓,
MCP1↓,
Apoptosis↑, It promotes apoptosis and ER stress by targeting phosphorylated protein kinase-like ER-resident kinase,
ER Stress↑,
5LO↓, inhibiting lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase activity
XO↓,
*NRF2↑, The expression of nuclear factors erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is boosted by curcumin
*HO-1↑,
*AChE↓, Curcumin also inhibits the key enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and p300, a positive regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway
*neuroP↑, Curcumin has also been suggested to prevent and cure neurotoxicity by replenishing dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels.
*glucose↓, remarkably lowers blood glucose levels and improves insulin resistance by reducing hepatic glucose synthesis, inhibiting inflammatory reactions produced by hyperglycemia,
*GLUT2↑, boosting glucose transporters 2 (GLUT2), 3 (GLUT3), and 4 (GLUT4) gene expression, enhancing glucose uptake, and activating the AMPK signaling pathway.
*GLUT3↑,
*GLUT4↑,
*GlucoseCon↑,
*AMPK↑,
*BMD↑, Supplementation with nanomicelle curcumin (80 mg) alone or in combination with Nigella sativa oil (1000 mg) for 2–6 months increased plasma levels of miRNA-21 in postmenopausal women with low bone mass density.
*MDA↓, (1000 mg/day) for 8 weeks reduced serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) and increased the total antioxidant capacity in 81 healthy postmenopausal women
*eff↑, Loriczova et al. demonstrated that iron (18 mg and 65 mg) supplementation along with curcumin (500 mg) reduces iron-induced systemic inflammation by reducing plasma levels of TNF-α
eff↑, high-dose vitamin C (25–100 g/day) along with oral nutrient supplementation including curcumin (1–3 g/day) had improved QoL and survival
P53↑, Curcumin was also reported to induce p53 and Bax expression in patients with colorectal cancer, causing apoptosis and DNA fragmentation and suppressing TNF-α and Bcl-2.
BAX↑,
DNAdam↑,
Bcl-2↓,
CSCs↓, The combination of curcumin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) in colorectal liver metastases reduced stem cell markers, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase and CD133.
ALDH↓,
CD133↑,

6214- CUR,    Curcumin Nanoparticles-related Non-invasive Tumor Therapy, and Cardiotoxicity Relieve
TumCD↓, Curcumin plays the antitumor effect by directly promoting tumor cell death and reducing tumor cells' invasive ability.
TumCI↓,
*Inflam↓, curcumin has many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, antitumor, etc.
*antiOx↓,
*AntiTum↓,
NF-kB↓, Curcumin exerts the therapeutic effect mainly by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signal pathway, inhibiting the production of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2),
COX2↓,
Casp9↓, promoting the expression of caspase-9, and directly inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in tumor cells.
ROS↑, Curcumin can induce lethal levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumors
BioAv↑, Curcumin nanoparticles can solve curcumin's shortcomings, such as poor water solubility and high metabolic rate, and can be effectively used in antitumor therapy.
RadioS↑, Figure 1, Curcumin Increases Radiosensitivity of Tumor
ChemoSen↑,
Imm↑,
PhotoS↑, Curcumin Mediates the Antitumor Effect of PDT
sonoS↑, Curcumin Mediates the Antitumor Effect of SDT
5LO↓, down-regulating the activities of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and so on, reducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α),
iNOS↓,
IL2↓,
TNF-α↓,
Casp9↑, activating intracellular caspase-9 and caspase-3, reducing the expression of p53, inhibiting Bcl2, and promoting the expression of Bax and down-regulating the proportion of Bcl2/Bax
Casp3↑,
Bcl-2↓,
BAX↑,
Apoptosis↑, promote apoptosis by activating caspase-4 and stimulating the Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway and mitochondria stress pathway in tumor cells [
ER Stress↑,
cycD1/CCND1↓, It reduces the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin kinase-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), cdc2/cyclin B complex, and other cell cycle-related proteins,
CDK2↓,
CycB/CCNB1↓,
TumCCA↑, blocks tumor cells from G1 / S phase and G2 / M phase, thus exerting an antitumor effect
MMPs↓, curcumin inhibits tumor invasion and metastasis by inhibiting NF-κB and other signaling pathways, such as chemokine and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
*radioP↑, Curcumin can effectively treat and prevent radiation adverse reactions such as radiation dermatitis and radiation pneumonia by reducing the expression of inflammatory factors such as fibrotic cytokines, TNF-α, and IL-1, inhibiting NF-κB signal pathwa
chemoP↑, Protective Effect of Curcumin on Side Effects of Chemotherapy
hepatoP↑, urcumin alleviates the hepatotoxicity caused by chemotherapy through anti-inflammation and antioxidation, reducing the level of liver fibrosis and blood lipids [
cardioP↑, Using curcumin to reduce the cardiotoxicity of chemotherapy can improve the therapeutic effect of tumors and patients' prognosis and quality of life.
eff↑, Curcumin Enhances the Therapeutic Effect of Immunotherapy
PhotoS↑, it has the potential to be a new photosensitizer
eff↑, Curcumin nanoparticles with functions of relieving hypoxia and consuming GSH could improve the ability of curcumin to induce ROS and promote ROS- mediated tumor cell death
ROS↑,
GSH↓,

2821- CUR,    Antioxidant curcumin induces oxidative stress to kill tumor cells (Review)
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, Curcumin is a plant polyphenol in turmeric root and a potent antioxidant
*NRF2↑, regulation by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, thereby suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-infective and other pharmacological effects
*ROS↓,
*Inflam↓,
ROS↑, Of note, curcumin induces oxidative stress in tumors. curcumin-induced accumulation of ROS in tumors to kill tumor cells has been noted in several studies
p‑ERK↑, Curcumin promoted ERK/JNK phosphorylation, causing elevated ROS levels and triggering mitochondria-dependent apoptosis
ER Stress↑, Curcumin triggered disturbances in Ca2+ homeostasis, leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis
mtDam↑,
Apoptosis↑,
Akt↓, Curcumin inhibited the AKT/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway
mTOR↓,
HO-1↑, Curcumin-induced HO-1 overexpression led to a disturbed intracellular iron distribution and triggered the Fenton reaction
Fenton↑,
GSH↓, Non-small cell lung cancer: Curcumin induced a decrease in GSH and an increase in ROS levels and iron accumulation
Iron↑,
p‑JNK↑, Curcumin causes mitochondrial damage by promoting phosphorylation of ERK and JNK, resulting in the increased release of ROS and cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, thereby triggering a mitochondrion-dependent pathway of apoptosis
Cyt‑c↑,
ATF6↑, thyroid cancer with curcumin, both activating transcription factor (ATF) 6 and the ER stress marker C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were activated by curcumin and Ca2+-ATPase activity was also affected.
CHOP↑,

2654- CUR,    Oxidative Stress Inducers in Cancer Therapy: Preclinical and Clinical Evidence
- Review, Var, NA
ROS↑, ROS induction has been implicated as one of the mechanisms of the anticancer activity of curcumin and its derivatives in various cancers
Catalase↓, Curcumin induces ROS by inhibiting the activity of various ROS-related metabolic enzymes, such as CAT, SOD1, glyoxalase 1, and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 [146,149]
SOD1↓,
GLO-I↓,
NADPH↓,
TumCCA↑, ROS accumulation further mediates G1 or G2/M cell cycle arrest [146,147,150,154], senescence [146], and apoptosis.
Apoptosis↑,
Akt↓, downregulation of AKT phosphorylation [145
ER Stress↑, endoplasmic reticulum stress (namely through the PERK–ATF4–CHOP axis)
JNK↑, activation of the JNK pathway [151],
STAT3↓, and inhibition of STAT3 [155].
BioAv↑, Additionally, the combination of curcumin and piperine, a pro-oxidative phytochemical that drastically increases the bioavailability of curcumin in humans

132- CUR,    Targeting multiple pro-apoptotic signaling pathways with curcumin in prostate cancer cells
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3
TumCCA↑, inducing a chronic ER stress mediated cell death and activation of cell cycle arrest, UPR, autophagy and oxidative stress responses.
ROS↑, correlating with the upregulation of reactive oxygen species
TumAuto↑,
UPR↑, The upregulation of eIF2α in curcumin-treated cells, suggests activation of the UPR-associated PERK pathway
ER Stress↑,
Casp3↑, Chronic ER stress induction was concomitant with the upregulation of pro-apoptotic markers (caspases 3,9,12) and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase.
Casp9↑,
Casp12↑,
PARP↑,
other↝, Curcumin-treated PC3 cells expressed 146 upregulated and 184 downregulated proteins when compared with control PC3 cells (treated with DMSO).
GRP78/BiP↑, GRP78 and the PDI family were upregulated by 1.69 and ≥1.25-fold respectively
PDI↑,
eIF2α↑, other upregulated proteins related to ER stress figure eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2A (EIF2A), with a significant fold change of 1.25,
other↝, downregulated antioxidant markers such as peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) and protein DJ-1 (PARK7) with significant fold changes of –1.39 and –1.51, respectively

143- CUR,    Nonautophagic cytoplasmic vacuolation death induction in human PC-3M prostate cancer by curcumin through reactive oxygen species -mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress
- in-vitro, Pca, LNCaP - in-vitro, Pca, DU145 - in-vitro, Pca, PC3
ER Stress↑, curcumin treatment upregulated the ER stress markers CHOP and Bip/GRP78 and the autophagic marker LC3-II.
CHOP↑,
GRP78/BiP↑,
ROS↑, curcumin induced ER stress by triggering ROS generation
LC3II↑,
eff↓, treating cells with the antioxidant NAC alleviated curcumin-mediated ER stress and vacuolation-mediated death.
tumCV↓, Curcumin treatment results in reduced cell viability and altered morphology of prostate cancer cells

117- CUR,    Increased Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Mediates the Anti-Cancer Effects of WZ35 via Activating Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway in Prostate Cancer Cells
- in-vivo, Pca, RM-1 - in-vivo, Pca, DU145
ROS↑, WZ35 Increased Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Accumulation in RM-1 Cells
tumCV↓, Our results showed that WZ35 treatment induced loss of cell viability, cell apoptosis, and G2/M cycle arrest in both RM-1 and DU145 cells, coupled with ROS overproduction, intracellular calcium surge, and activation of mitochondrial apoptosis
Apoptosis↑,
TumCCA↑,
Ca+2↑,
eff↓, ROS also mediated cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase evidenced by the fact that pretreatment with NAC significantly decreased cell accumulation in G2/M phase and CDC2/cyclin B1 protein level in WZ35-treated cells
ER Stress↑, Thus, ER stress may be involved in the anti-prostate cancer effects of WZ35

118- CUR,    Curcumin analog WZ35 induced cell death via ROS-dependent ER stress and G2/M cell cycle arrest in human prostate cancer cells
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, Pca, DU145
ROS↑, WZ35 treatment for 30 min significantly induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in PC-3 cells.
Bcl-2↓,
PARP↑,
cDC2↓, decreased expression of CDC2, cyclinB1, and MDM2
CycB/CCNB1↓,
MDM2↓,
eff↓, Co-treatment with the ROS scavenger NAC completely abrogated the induction of WZ35 on cell apoptosis,
eIF2α↑, WZ35 treatment also induced a constant increase in the level of phosphorylated eIF2α 3 to 12 h after WZ35 treatment
ATF4↑, ATF4 expression also increased in a similar manner with p-eIF2α
CHOP↑, CHOP protein expression apparently increased 9-24 h after WZ35 treatment and peaked at 12 h
ER Stress↑, results suggest that WZ35 can induce ER stress in prostate cancer cells
TumCCA↑, WZ35 induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase in PC-3 cells

150- NRF,  CUR,  docx,    Subverting ER-Stress towards Apoptosis by Nelfinavir and Curcumin Coexposure Augments Docetaxel Efficacy in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, Pca, C4-2B
p‑Akt↓,
p‑eIF2α↑, phosphorylated
ER Stress↑, Acute exposure (3–9 hrs) to this 3-drug combination intensified ER-stress induced pro-apoptotic markers, i.e. ATF4, CHOP, and TRIB3.
ATF4↑, 3-drug combination rapidly enhances ER-stress associated death sensors, CHOP, ATF-4 and TRIB3 in C4-2B cells
CHOP↑,
TRIB3↑,
ChemoSen↑, subverting ER-stress towards apoptosis using adjuvant therapy with NFR and CUR can chemosensitize the CRPC cells to DTX therapy.
Casp3↑, NFR or CUR alone could increase Caspase-3 activity in DTX exposed cells
cl‑PARP↑, PARP cleavage assays further confirmed this differential effect of drug combination on apoptotic cell death. In C4-2B cells, a 9-fold increase was observed
BID↑, 3-drug combination rapidly increases ER-stress transducers, BiP, eIF2µ and Xbp-1 in C4-2B cells
XBP-1↑,


Showing Research Papers: 1 to 11 of 11

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 11

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Catalase↓, 1,   Fenton↑, 1,   GSH↓, 2,   HO-1↑, 1,   Iron↑, 1,   Keap1↑, 1,   ROS↑, 9,   SOD1↓, 1,   TrxR↓, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

mtDam↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 1,   GLO-I↓, 1,   NADPH↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 3,   p‑Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 5,   BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↓, 3,   BID↑, 1,   Casp12↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 3,   Casp9↓, 1,   Casp9↑, 2,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   MDM2↓, 1,   Paraptosis↑, 1,   TumCD↓, 1,   TumCD↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

cJun↓, 1,   other↝, 2,   PhotoS↑, 2,   sonoS↑, 1,   tumCV↓, 2,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

ATF6↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 4,   eIF2α↑, 2,   p‑eIF2α↑, 1,   ER Stress↑, 11,   GRP78/BiP↓, 1,   GRP78/BiP↑, 2,   UPR↑, 1,   XBP-1↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

LC3II↑, 1,   TumAuto↑, 3,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PARP↑, 2,   cl‑PARP↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK2↓, 1,   CDK4↓, 1,   CycB/CCNB1↓, 2,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,   TumCCA↑, 6,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ALDH↓, 1,   CD133↑, 1,   cDC2↓, 1,   cFos↓, 1,   CSCs↓, 1,   EMT↓, 1,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   STAT↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 2,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

5LO↓, 2,   Ca+2↑, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   MMPs↓, 1,   PKCδ↓, 1,   TRIB3↑, 1,   TumCI↓, 2,   TumMeta↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   ATF4↑, 2,   EGFR↓, 1,   PDI↑, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL1↓, 1,   IL12↓, 1,   IL2↓, 2,   IL6↓, 1,   IL8↓, 1,   Imm↑, 2,   JAK↓, 1,   MCP1↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 3,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

XO↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↑, 2,   ChemoSen↑, 3,   Dose↝, 1,   eff↓, 4,   eff↑, 4,   RadioS↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   TRIB3↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   chemoP↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 105

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↓, 1,   antiOx↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 2,   MDA↓, 2,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 2,   TAC↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 1,   glucose↓, 1,   GlucoseCon↑, 1,   GLUT2↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

iNOS↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT3↑, 1,   GLUT4↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 2,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

AChE↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 2,   eff↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

BMD↑, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,   IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiTum↓, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   radioP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 29

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ER Stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway
11 Curcumin
1 Apigenin (mainly Parsley)
1 nelfinavir/Viracept
1 Docetaxel
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#:103  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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