Curcumin / HO-1 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
HO-1, HMOX1: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
(Also known as Hsp32 and HMOX1)
HO-1 is the common abbreviation for the protein (heme oxygenase‑1) produced by the HMOX1 gene.
HO-1 is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in various cellular processes, including the breakdown of heme, a toxic molecule. Research has shown that HO-1 is involved in the development and progression of cancer.
-widely regarded as having antioxidant and cytoprotective effects
-The overall activity of HO‑1 helps to reduce the pro‐oxidant load (by degrading free heme, a pro‑oxidant) and to generate molecules (like bilirubin) that can protect cells from oxidative damage

Studies have found that HO-1 is overexpressed in various types of cancer, including lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. The overexpression of HO-1 in cancer cells can contribute to their survival and proliferation by:
  Reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
  Promoting angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels)
  Inhibiting apoptosis (programmed cell death)
  Enhancing cell migration and invasion
When HO-1 is at a normal level, it mainly exerts an antioxidant effect, and when it is excessively elevated, it causes an accumulation of iron ions.

A proper cellular level of HMOX1 plays an antioxidative function to protect cells from ROS toxicity. However, its overexpression has pro-oxidant effects to induce ferroptosis of cells, which is dependent on intracellular iron accumulation and increased ROS content upon excessive activation of HMOX1.

-Curcumin   Activates the Nrf2 pathway leading to HO‑1 induction; known for its anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
-Resveratrol  Induces HO‑1 via activation of SIRT1/Nrf2 signaling; exhibits antioxidant and cardioprotective properties.
-Quercetin   Activates Nrf2 and related antioxidant pathways; contributes to anti‑oxidative and anti‑inflammatory responses.
-EGCG     Promotes HO‑1 expression through activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway; also exhibits anti‑inflammatory and anticancer properties.
-Sulforaphane One of the most potent natural HO‑1 inducers; triggers Nrf2 nuclear translocation and upregulates a battery of phase II detoxifying enzymes.
-Luteolin    Induces HO‑1 via Nrf2 activation; may also exert anti‑inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in various cell models.
-Apigenin   Has been reported to induce HO‑1 expression partly via the MAPK and Nrf2 pathways; also known for anti‑inflammatory and anticancer activities.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
6225- CUR,    Natural products for enhancing the sensitivity or decreasing the adverse effects of anticancer drugs through regulating the redox balance
- Review, Var, NA
ox-Trx1↑, Curcumin increases Trx1 oxidation and subsequent apoptosis in prostate cancer cells [95].
TrxR1↓, (curcuminoid B63) has been shown to induce ROS-mediated paraptosis-like cell death by targeting TrxR1 in gastric cancer cells
TrxR↓, curcumin-induced inhibition of TrxR may depend on its Michael acceptor function.
ROS↑, leads to dramatic pro-oxidant effects, the induction of NOX activity, and the production of ROS
GSH/GSSG↓, significant decrease in the GSH/GSSG ratio was observed in lung cancer cells after treatment with curcumin
eff↓, NAC partially or completely reversed these effects, suggesting that ROS generation may be the underlying cause of curcumin-induced cell death.
Fenton↑, curcumin reduces Cu(II) to Cu(I) and leads to the formation of H2O2, which further reacts with Cu(I) through the Fenton reaction to produce •OH.
H2O2↑,
*NRF2↑, curcumin pretreatment significantly increases Nrf2 in the nucleus and decreases the expression of Keap1, as well as reverses the doxorubicin-induced reduction of HO-1 and NQO1, which provides a rational mechanism against doxorubicin-induced neurotoxi
*Keap1↓,
*HO-1↑,
*NQO1↑,
ChemoSen↑, The cisplatin and curcumin coloaded liposome system extends the drug duration and promotes drug accumulation in tumours.

6223- CUR,    Curcumin Rewires the Tumor Metabolic Landscape: Mechanisms and Clinical Prospects
- Review, Var, NA
Ferroptosis↑, including the induction of ferroptosis by regulating the SLC7A11/GPX4 axis
GutMicro↑, and modulating gut microbiota metabolism. I
Akt↓, it inhibits pro-tumorigenic signals such as Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, Wnt/β-catenin, and STAT3, thereby blocking tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis
mTOR↓,
NF-kB↓,
Wnt↓,
β-catenin/ZEB1↓,
STAT3↓,
TumCP↓,
TumCI↓,
TumMeta↓,
AMPK↑, activates tumor-suppressive and cytoprotective pathways, including AMPK, p53, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis
P53↑,
NRF2↑,
TumCCA↑,
Apoptosis↑,
Casp↑, activation of the Caspase cascade
GPx4↓, as well as ferroptosis by inhibiting the solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11)/glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) axis [5]
DNMTs↓, inhibiting epigenetic regulatory mechanisms such as DNMTs and HDACs.
HDAC↓,
VEGF↓, inhibiting VEGF signaling and enhances the immune microenvironment by improving T cell and NK cell function
Imm↑,
NK cell↑,
Warburg↓, Curcumin effectively reverses the Warburg effect and interferes with glucose metabolism by targeting HIF-1α and inhibiting key enzymes, including hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA)
Hif1a↓,
HK2↓,
PKM2↓,
LDHA↓,
GLUT1↓, as well as the functions of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) [12].
MCT1↓,
AMPK↑, curcumin activates signaling pathways such as AMPK, downregulates fatty acid synthase (FASN) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1),
FASN↓,
SCD1↓,
GLS↓, Curcumin extensively intervenes in amino acid metabolism by inhibiting the activity of glutaminase (GLS), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), and other enzymes,
Apoptosis↑, inducing apoptosis through mechanisms such as disrupting the electron transport chain, reducing membrane potential, and promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
ETC↓,
MMP↓,
ROS↑,
lipid-P↑, curcumin induces lipid peroxidation and collapses redox homeostasis, thereby activating the ferroptosis program [
ChemoSen↑, blocking invasion and metastasis, and enhancing chemosensitivity.
PDK1↓, In hypoxic pancreatic cancer cells, curcumin downregulates the expression of GLUT1, HK2, LDHA, and PDK1 by inhibiting the Beclin1/HIF-1α axis, which results in reduced ATP production and inhibited cell proliferation [
Beclin-1↓,
ATP↓,
Glycolysis↓, inhibiting glycolysis
GlucoseCon↓, decreased glucose uptake and increased lactate production
lactateProd↑,
MMPs↓, reduces MMP, GSH, and G6PD activities
GSH↓, inhibition of SLC7A11 to limit GSH synthesis, thereby triggering the collapse of the antioxidant defense system
G6PD↓,
OXPHOS↓, downregulate OXPHOS and glycolysis activities
SREBP2↓, curcumin treatment leads to a marked downregulation of the mRNA expression of SREBP and its target genes. inhibiting the expression of NPC1L1, SREBP-2, and HNF1α
COX2↓, curcumin exerts anti-tumor effects by downregulating the expression of NF-κB, COX-2, and AP-1
AP-1↓,
NADH↓, decreased GPx4 and FSP1 expression, induced ferroptosis by inhibiting GSH-GPx4 and FSP1-CoQ 10-NADH pathways
NRF2↑, it inhibits GPX4 and activates Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). This results in an abnormal accumulation of intracellular Fe2+, ROS, lipid peroxides, and malondialdehyde (MDA), along with a depletion of GSH
HO-1↑,
Iron↑,
MDA↑,
*ROS↓, studies have demonstrated that the topical application of curcumin on the skin exerts antitumor effects by synergistically downregulating COX-2 and ODC activities, alleviating oxidative damage, and concurrently inhibiting inflammatory proliferation i
*Inflam↓,

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↑,

6215- CUR,    Curcumin: biochemistry, pharmacology, advanced drug delivery systems, and its epigenetic role in combating cancer
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, Curcumin exerts potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects by modulating multiple signaling pathways, including NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, and Wnt/β-catenin.
*Inflam↓,
*BioAv↓, curcumin’s clinical application is limited by poor solubility, rapid metabolism, and low systemic bioavailability.
NF-kB↓, graphical abstract
PI3K↓,
Akt↓,
Wnt↓,
β-catenin/ZEB1↓,
DNMTs↓,
TumCI↓,
TumMeta↓,
*BioAv↑, Advanced drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles, liposomes, and micelles have been developed to address these challenges. These systems enhance curcumin’s solubility, stability, and targeted delivery, improving therapeutic efficacy while minimiz
*BioAv↑, coadministration with piperine, lipid-based formulations, and nanoparticle microencapsulation have been developed. Piperine has been shown to increase curcumin absorption by up to 2000 percent
angioG↓, Curcumin is also known for its antiangiogenic action through its inhibitory activity against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
VEGF↓,
MMPs↓,
*ROS↓, suppresses oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals and enhancing the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase
*SOD↑,
*Catalase↑,
*GSTs↑, timulating phase II detoxifying enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase (GST), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).
*HO-1↑,
*NRF2↑, It also enhances the activity of the transcription factor Nrf2, which regulates genes crucial for cellular redox homeostasis and safeguarding cells against oxidative damage
mTOR↓, 0 to 50 μM, treatment was associated with decreased phosphorylation of Akt kinase (Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3β), Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1), and other proteins
GSK‐3β↓,
FOXO1↓,
*radioP↑, Reduced radiation-induced dermatitis and inflammatory cytokine expression (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α)
*IL1↓,
*IL6↓,
*TNF-α↓,
HATs↓, curcumin has been described as an agent that reduces histone acetylation by inhibiting HAT (histone acetyltransferases), such as the p300/CBP family of proteins
HDAC↓, curcumin has been detected to be an HDI and has the ability to inhibit the expressions of HDACs, like HDAC1, HDAC3, and HDAC8,
ROS↑, Elevating the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in colon adenocarcinoma cells is one of the outcomes of treatment with curcumin, which results in a decline in cell proliferation and viability
ROS↑, at higher concentrations or in the presence of transition metal ions (e.g. Cu2+, Fe2+/Fe3+), curcumin can paradoxically act as a pro-oxidant.
MMP↓, Excess ROS damages mitochondrial membranes, oxidizes nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, and activates apoptotic cascades via cytochrome c release and caspase activation
Casp↑,
Cyt‑c↑,
COX1↓, curcumin acts as a partial and condition-dependent inhibitor of both COX-1 and COX-2.
COX2↓,
PGE2↓, At lower or therapeutic concentrations, curcumin predominantly downregulates COX-2 and reduces prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis.
*cytoP450↓, curcumin’s capacity to inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes may influence the metabolism of numerous medicines over extended durations.
ChemoSen↑, curcumin has been integrated with standard chemotherapy agents, including doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel, to enhance cancer treatment efficacy
cardioP↑, co-delivery of curcumin and doxorubicin via nanoparticles improved anticancer effectiveness and decreased cardiotoxicity.
eff↑, concurrent treatment of curcumin and resveratrol has demonstrated increased anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties

6210- CUR,    Potential Roles and Mechanisms of Curcumin and its Derivatives in the Regulation of Ferroptosis
Ferroptosis↑, curcumin is a ferroptosis inducer with excellent anticancer efficacy, although it also exhibits organ protective and reparative effects by acting as a ferroptosis inhibitor.
*Ferroptosis↓,
ROS↑, Accumulated intracellular iron is the trigger for ferroptosis as it can produce highly reactive free radicals via the Fenton reaction, which can lead to ferroptosis
Fenton↑,
*IronCh↑, ability of curcumin to chelate iron and regulate oxidation predicts that curcumin may have a role in regulating ferroptosis,
GPx4↓, Curcumin and its derivative EF24 repress GPX4 expression and increase MDA and ROS levels to exert a pro-ferroptosis effect in osteosarcoma cells
MDA↑,
GSH↓, reduction in GSH content and L-OOH levels was measured in curcumin-treated TNBC cells
*NRF2↑, protective effects against ferroptosis-induced damage to cells107. Through activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, curcumin can both restrict high glucose-induced neuronal (N2a) cell injury
*HO-1↑,

2819- CUR,  Chemo,    Curcumin as a hepatoprotective agent against chemotherapy-induced liver injury
- Review, Var, NA
*hepatoP↑, Several studies have shown that curcumin could prevent and/or palliate chemotherapy-induced liver injury
*Inflam↓, mainly due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifibrotic and hypolipidemic properties.
*antiOx↑,
*lipid-P↓, Curcumin can lower lipid peroxidation by increasing the content of GSH, a major endogenous antioxidant,
*GSH↑,
*SOD↑, as well as by enhancing the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD, CAT, GPx and GST
*Catalase↑,
*GPx↑,
*GSTs↑,
*ROS↓, elimination of ROS
*ALAT↓, attenuated the increase in serum levels of TNF-α as well as several liver enzymes, including ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase and MDA which are markers of liver damage caused by MTX or cisplatin.
*AST↓,
*MDA↓,
*NRF2↑, Curcumin also attenuated DILI through activation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway
*COX2↑, Curcumin can also inhibit the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
*NF-kB↓, NF-κB inhibition, which decreased the downstream induction of COX-2, ICAM-1 and MCP-1 pro-inflammatory regulators
*ICAM-1↓,
*MCP1↓,
*HO-1↑, increase in HO-1 and NQO1 expression
CXCc↓, Downregulation of pro-inflammatory chemokines, (CXCL1, CXCL2, and MCP-1)

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↑,

3574- CUR,    The effect of curcumin (turmeric) on Alzheimer's disease: An overview
- Review, AD, NA
*antiOx↑, Curcumin as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipophilic action improves the cognitive functions in patients with AD
*Inflam↓,
*lipid-P↓,
*cognitive↑,
*memory↑, overall memory in patients with AD has improved.
*Aβ↓, curcumin may help the macrophages to clear the amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's disease.
*COX2↓, Curcumin is found to inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX-2),
*ROS↓, The reduction of the release of ROS by stimulated neutrophils, inhibition of AP-1 and NF-Kappa B inhibit the activation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-alpha and IL (interleukin)-1 beta
*AP-1↓,
*NF-kB↓,
*TNF-α↓,
*IL1β↓,
*SOD↑, It also increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, sodium-potassium ATPase that normally decreased with aging.
*GSH↑, followed by a significant elevation in oxidized glutathione content.
*HO-1↑, curcumin induces hemoxygenase activity.
*IronCh↑, curcumin effectively binds to copper, zinc and iron.
*BioAv↓, Curcumin has poor bioavailability. Because curcumin readily conjugated in the intestine and liver to form curcumin glucuronides.
*Half-Life↝, , serum curcumin concentrations peaked one to two hours after an oral dose
*Dose↝, Peak serum concentrations were 0.5, 0.6 and 1.8 micromoles/L at doses of 4, 6 and 8 g/day respectively.
*BBB↑, Curcumin crosses the blood brain barrier and is detected in CSF
*BioAv↑, Absorption appears to be better with food.
*toxicity∅, A phase 1 human trial with 25 subjects using up to 8000 mg of curcumin per day for three months found no toxicity from curcumin.
*eff↑, Co-supplementation with 20 mg of piperine (extracted from black pepper) significantly increase the bioavailablity of curcumin by 2000%

3576- CUR,    Protective Effects of Indian Spice Curcumin Against Amyloid-β in Alzheimer's Disease
- Review, AD, NA
*Inflam↓, known to have protective effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-arthritis, pro-healing, and boosting memory cognitive functions.
*antiOx↑,
*memory↑,
*Aβ↓, curcumin prevents Aβ aggregation and crosses the blood-brain barrier,
*BBB↑,
*cognitive↑, curcumin ameliorates cognitive decline and improves synaptic functions in mouse models of AD
*tau↓, curcumin's effect on inhibition of A and tau,copper binding ability, cholesterol lowering ability, anti-inflammatory and modulation of microglia, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, antioxidant properties,
*LDL↓,
*AChE↓,
*IL1β↓, Curcumin reduced the levels of oxidized proteins and IL1B in the brains of APP mice
*IronCh↑, Curcumin binds to redox-active metals, iron and copper
*neuroP↑, Curcumin, a neuroprotective agent, has poor brain bioavailability.
*BioAv↝,
*PI3K↑, They found that curcumin significantly upregulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, nuclear factor E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1, and ferritin expression
*Akt↑,
*NRF2↑,
*HO-1↑,
*Ferritin↑,
*HO-2↓, and that it significantly downregulates heme oxygenase 2, ROS, and A40/42 expression.
*ROS↓,
*Ach↑, significant increase in brain ACh, glutathione, paraoxenase, and BCL2 levels with respect to untreated group associated with significant decrease in brain AChE activity,
*GSH↑,
*Bcl-2↑,
*ChAT↑, nvestigation revealed that the selected treatments caused marked increase in ChAT positive cells.

2688- CUR,    Effects of resveratrol, curcumin, berberine and other nutraceuticals on aging, cancer development, cancer stem cells and microRNAs
- Review, Var, NA - Review, AD, NA
*ROS↓, CUR reduced the production of ROS
*SOD↑, CUR also upregulated the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) genes
p16↑, The effects of CUR on gene expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts obtained from breast cancer patients has been examined. CUR increased the expression of the p16INK4A and other tumor suppressor proteins
JAK2↓, CUR decreased the activity of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway
STAT3↓,
CXCL12↓, and many molecules involved in cellular growth and metastasis including: stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), IL-6, MMP2, MMP9 and TGF-beta
IL6↓,
MMP2↓,
MMP9↓,
TGF-β↓,
α-SMA↓, These effects reduced the levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) which was attributed to decreased migration and invasion of the cells.
LAMs↓, CUR suppressed Lamin B1 and
DNAdam↑, induced DNA damage-independent senescence in proliferating but not quiescent breast stromal fibroblasts in a p16INK4A-dependent manner.
*memory↑, CUR has recently been shown to suppress memory decline by suppressing beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1= Beta-secretase 1, an important gene in AD) expression which is implicated in beta-amyoid pathology in 5xFAD transgenic
*cognitive↑, CUR was found to decrease adiposity and improve cognitive function in a similar fashion as CR in 15-month-old mice.
*Inflam↓, The effects of CUR and CR were positively linked with anti-inflammatory or antioxidant actions
*antiOx↑,
*NO↑, CUR treatment increased nNOS expression, acidity and NO concentration
*MDA↓, CUR treatment resulted in decreased levels of MDA
*ROS↓, CUR treatment was determined to cause reduction of ROS in the AMD-RPEs and protected the cells from H2O2-induced cell death by reduction of ROS levels.
DNMT1↓, CUR has been shown to downregulate the expression of DNA methyl transferase I (DNMT1)
ROS↑, induction of ROS and caspase-3-mediated apoptosis
Casp3↑,
Apoptosis↑,
miR-21↓, CUR was determined to decrease both miR-21 and anti-apoptotic protein expression.
LC3II↓, CUR also induced proteins associated with cell death such as LC3-II and other proteins in U251 cells
ChemoSen↑, The combined CUR and temozolomide treatment resulted in enhanced toxicity in U-87 glioblastoma cells.
NF-kB↓, suppression of NF-kappaB activity
CSCs↓, Dendrosomal curcumin increased the expression of miR-145 and decreased the expression of stemness genes including: NANOG, OCT4A, OCT4B1, and SOX2 [113]
Nanog↓,
OCT4↓,
SOX2↓,
eff↑, A synergistic interaction was observed when emodin and CUR were combined in terms of inhibition of cell growth, survival and invasion.
Sp1/3/4↓, CUR inducing ROS which results in suppression of specificity protein expression (SP1, SP3 and SP4) as well as miR-27a.
miR-27a-3p↓,
ZBTB10↑, downregulation of miR-27a by CUR, increased expression of ZBTB10 occurred
SOX9?, This resulted in decreased SOX9 expression.
ChemoSen↑, CUR used in combination with cisplatin resulted in a synergistic cytotoxic effect, while the effects were additive or sub-additive in combination with doxorubicin
VEGF↓, Some of the effects of CUR treatment are inhibition of NF-κB activity and downstream effector proteins, including: VEGF, MMP-9, XIAP, BCL-2 and Cyclin-D1.
XIAP↓,
Bcl-2↓,
cycD1/CCND1↓,
BioAv↑, Piperine is an alkaloid found in the seeds of black pepper (Piper nigrum) and is known to enhance the bioavailability of several therapeutic agents, including CUR
Hif1a↓, CUR inhibits HIF-1 in certain HCC cell lines and in vivo studies with tumor xenografts. CUR also inhibited EMT by suppressing HIF-1alpha activity in HepG2 cells
EMT↓,
BioAv↓, CUR has a poor solubility in aqueous enviroment, and consequently it has a low bioavailability and therefore low concentrations at the target sites.
PTEN↑, CUR treatment has been shown to result in activation of PTEN, which is a target of miR-21.
VEGF↓, CUR treatment resulted in a decrease of VEGF and activated Akt.
Akt↑,
EZH2↓, CUR also suppressed EZH2 expression by induction of miR-let 7c and miR-101.
NOTCH1↓, The expression of NOTCH1 was inhibited upon EZH2 suppression [
TP53↑, CUR has been shown to activate the TP53/miR-192-5p/miR-215/XIAP pathway in NSCLC.
NQO1↑, CUR can also induce the demethylation of the nuclear factor erythroid-2 (NF-E2) related factor-2 (NRT2) gene which in turn activates (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO1) and an antioxidant stress pathway which can prevent growth in mouse TRAMP-C1 prostate
HO-1↑,

3795- CUR,    Curcumin: A Golden Approach to Healthy Aging: A Systematic Review of the Evidence
- Review, AD, NA
*antiOx↑, Curcumin, a natural compound with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
*Inflam↓,
*AntiAge↑, Its potential anti-aging properties are due to its power to alter the levels of proteins associated with senescence, such as adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuins
*AMPK↑,
*SIRT1↑,
*NF-kB↓, preventing pro-aging proteins, such as nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
*mTOR↓,
*NLRP3↓, Moreover, curcumin, by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, can directly restrain the assembly or even inhibit the activation of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome
*NADPH↓, by inhibiting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and elevating the activity of antioxidant enzymes and consequently lowering reactive oxygen species (ROS)
*ROS↓,
*COX2↓, (COX-2), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) can be decreased by curcumin
*MCP1↓,
*IL1β↓, by decreasing IL-1β, IL-17, IL-23, TNF-α, and myeloperoxidase, enhancing levels of IL-10, and downregulating activation of NF-κB
*IL17↓,
*IL23↓,
*TNF-α↓,
*MPO↓,
*IL10↑,
*lipid-P↓, curcumin showed a significant decline in lipid peroxidation and increased superoxide dismutase levels, in addition to a reduction in Aβ aggregation and tau hyperphosphorylation through the regulation of GSK3β, Cdk5, p35, and p25
*SOD↑,
*Aβ↓,
*p‑tau↓,
*GSK‐3β↓,
*CDK5↓,
*TXNIP↓, Curcumin also has an inhibitory role on the thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway
*NRF2↑, well as upregulation of Nrf2, NAD(P)H quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), HO-1, and γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) in brain cells.
*NQO1↑,
*HO-1↑,
*OS↑, significant improvement in OS, and a positive evolution in memory and spatial learning
*memory↑,
*BDNF↑, Besides that, it promoted neurogenesis through increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels
*neuroP↑, Curcumin can promote neuroprotection
*BACE↓, Figure 7
*AChE↓, figure 7
*LDL↓, and reduced total cholesterol and LDL levels.

3794- CUR,    Curcumin hybrid molecules for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: Structure and pharmacological activities
- Review, AD, NA
*GSK‐3β↓, Firstly, curcumin can inhibit kinases, such as GSK-3β and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 (Cdk5), that excessively phosphorylate Tau protein
*CDK5↓,
*p‑tau↓,
*IronCh↑, curcumin's metal ion chelating capability contributes to the reduction of free radicals
*ROS↓,
*HO-1↑, upregulating antioxidant enzymes including heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and enzymes involved in the synthesis of endogenous antioxidants, specifically glutathione (GSH)
*SOD↑,
*Catalase↑,
*GSH↑,
*TNF-α↓, inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12,
*IL6↓,
*IL12↓,
*NRF2↑, inducing the production of anti-inflammatory mediators including HO-1/NRF-2, PPARα-γ, and IL-4
*PPARγ↑,
*IL4↑,
*AChE↓, researchers have observed that curcumin can suppress AChE mRNA expression levels, effectively preventing the Cd-induced rise in AChE activity
*Dose↝, While curcumin directly interacts with AChE, its inhibitory activity remains weak (IC50 = 67.69 μM)
*GutMicro↑, curcumin's interaction with gut microbiota exhibits potential anti-AD properties.

1410- CUR,    Curcumin induces ferroptosis and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells by regulating Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway
- vitro+vivo, OS, MG63
tumCV↓,
Apoptosis↑,
TumCG↓,
NRF2↓, after treatment with curcumin, Nrf2 and GPX4 levels were significantly decreased
GPx4↓,
HO-1↓,
xCT↓, SLC7A11
ROS↑, our results revealed that after treatment with curcumin, ROS and MDA levels were significantly increased while GSH levels were decreased
MDA↑,
GSH↓,

1485- CUR,  Chemo,  Rad,    Curcumin, the golden spice from Indian saffron, is a chemosensitizer and radiosensitizer for tumors and chemoprotector and radioprotector for normal organs
- Review, Var, NA
ChemoSen↑, Such effects of curcumin were due to its ability to sensitize cancer cells for increased production of ROS
NF-kB↓, it downregulates various growth regulatory pathways and specific genetic targets including genes for NF-κB, STAT3, COX2, Akt
*STAT3↓, curcumin acts as a chemosensitizer and radiosensitizer has also been studied extensively. For example, it downregulates various growth regulatory pathways and specific genetic targets including genes for NF-kB, STAT3, COX2, Akt,
*COX2↓,
*Akt↓,
*NRF2↑, The protective effects of curcumin appear to be mediated through its ability to induce the activation of NRF2 and induce the expression of antioxidant enzymes (e.g., hemeoxygenase-1, glutathione peroxidase
*HO-1↑,
*GPx↑,
*NADPH↑,
*GSH↑, increase glutathione (a product of the modulatory subunit of gamma-glutamyl-cysteine ligase)
*ROS↓, dietary curcumin can inhibit chemotherapy-induced apoptosis via inhibition of ROS generation and blocking JNK signaling
*p300↓, inhibit p300 HAT activity
radioP↑, radioprotector for normal organs
chemoP↑, curcumin has also been shown to protect normal organs such as liver, kidney, oral mucosa, and heart from chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced toxicity.
RadioS↑,

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↓, curcumin analog
ATF3↑, our study showed that ATF3 was up-regulated by curcumin in both LNCaP and C4-2B cells
HO-1↑, Our data confirmed the tumor-inhibitory effects of HMOX-1 gene in prostate cancer cells, which was up-regulated by curcumin treatment.
Wnt↓, Wnt, PIK3/AKT/mTOR, and NF-κB signaling pathways were primarily inhibited by curcumin treatment
Akt↓,
mTOR↓,
PTEN↑, and PTEN dependent cell cycle arrest and apoptosis pathways were found to be elevated.
Apoptosis↑,
TGF-β↓, TGF-β signaling pathway was inhibited by curcumin treatment in androgen-dependent and independent manners.
PPARγ↑, Curcumin was also shown to induce PPAR-γ gene expression and inhibit hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation by interrupting TGF-β signaling in vitro

414- CUR,    Transcriptome Investigation and In Vitro Verification of Curcumin-Induced HO-1 as a Feature of Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231
Ferroptosis↑,
Iron↑,
ROS↑,
lipid-P↑,
MDA↑,
GSH↓,
HO-1↑, Curcumin upregulates a variety of ferroptosis target genes related to redox regulation, especially heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).
NRF2↑,
GPx↓,
ROS↑,
Iron↑, curcumin caused marked accumulation of intracellular iron
GPx4↓,
HSP70/HSPA5↑,
ATFs↑, ATF4
CHOP↑, DDIT3
MDA↑,
FTL↑, Curcumin upregulated FTL (encoding ferritin light chain), FTH1
FTH1↑,
BACH1↑,
REL↑, v-rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A
USF1↑,
NFE2L2↑,

2133- TQ,  CUR,  Cisplatin,    Thymoquinone and curcumin combination protects cisplatin-induced kidney injury, nephrotoxicity by attenuating NFκB, KIM-1 and ameliorating Nrf2/HO-1 signalling
- in-vitro, Nor, HEK293 - in-vivo, NA, NA
*creat↓, BUN, creatinine, CK and pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-6 and MRP-1 to be elevated in the cisplatin-treated group while reducing glomerular filtration rate. Tq + Cur treatment significantly improved these conditions.
*TNF-α↓,
*IL6↓,
*MRP↓,
*GFR↑,
*mt-ATPase↑, antioxidant enzyme levels and mitochondrial ATPases were restored upon treatment,
*p‑Akt↑, Tq + Cur treatment increased the expressions of phosphorylated Akt, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins while decreasing the levels of cleaved caspase 3 and NFκB in kidney homogenates.
*NRF2↑,
*HO-1↑,
*Casp3↓,
*NF-kB↓,
*RenoP↑, In summary, Tq + Cur had protective effects on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and renal injury


Showing Research Papers: 1 to 17 of 17

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 17

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ATF3↑, 1,   Fenton↑, 3,   Ferroptosis↑, 3,   GPx↓, 1,   GPx4↓, 4,   GSH↓, 5,   GSH/GSSG↓, 1,   H2O2↑, 1,   HO-1↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 5,   Iron↑, 4,   lipid-P↑, 2,   MDA↑, 5,   NADH↓, 1,   NFE2L2↑, 1,   NQO1↑, 1,   NRF2↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 3,   OXPHOS↓, 1,   ROS↑, 10,   ox-Trx1↑, 1,   TrxR↓, 1,   TrxR1↓, 1,   xCT↓, 1,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology ⓘ

FTH1↑, 1,   FTL↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

ATP↓, 1,   ETC↓, 1,   MMP↓, 2,   mtDam↑, 1,   XIAP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

AMPK↑, 2,   cMyc↓, 1,   FASN↓, 1,   G6PD↓, 1,   GLS↓, 1,   GlucoseCon↓, 1,   Glycolysis↓, 1,   HK2↓, 1,   lactateProd↑, 1,   LDHA↓, 1,   PDK1↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,   PPARγ↑, 1,   SCD1↓, 1,   SREBP2↓, 1,   Warburg↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 5,   Akt↑, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 7,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   Casp↑, 2,   Casp3↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 2,   Ferroptosis↑, 3,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   MCT1↓, 1,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

SOX9?, 1,   Sp1/3/4↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

cJun↓, 1,   EZH2↓, 1,   HATs↓, 1,   miR-21↓, 1,   miR-27a-3p↓, 1,   tumCV↓, 1,   USF1↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

ATF6↑, 1,   ATFs↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 2,   ER Stress↑, 2,   HSP70/HSPA5↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

Beclin-1↓, 1,   LC3II↓, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 2,   DNMT1↓, 1,   DNMTs↓, 2,   p16↑, 1,   P53↑, 2,   TP53↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK4↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

ALDH↓, 1,   CD133↑, 1,   cFos↓, 1,   CSCs↓, 2,   EMT↓, 2,   p‑ERK↑, 1,   FOXO1↓, 1,   GSK‐3β↓, 1,   HDAC↓, 2,   mTOR↓, 4,   Nanog↓, 1,   NOTCH1↓, 1,   OCT4↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 2,   PTEN↑, 2,   SOX2↓, 1,   STAT↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 2,   TumCG↓, 2,   Wnt↓, 3,  

Migration ⓘ

5LO↓, 1,   AP-1↓, 1,   BACH1↑, 1,   CXCL12↓, 1,   LAMs↓, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 2,   MMPs↓, 2,   PKCδ↓, 1,   TGF-β↓, 2,   TumCI↓, 3,   TumCP↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 3,   α-SMA↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 2,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 2,   EGFR↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 2,   REL↑, 1,   VEGF↓, 5,   ZBTB10↑, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

GLUT1↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX1↓, 1,   COX2↓, 2,   CXCc↓, 1,   IL1↓, 1,   IL12↓, 1,   IL2↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   IL8↓, 1,   Imm↑, 1,   JAK↓, 1,   JAK2↓, 1,   MCP1↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 6,   NK cell↑, 1,   PGE2↓, 1,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

XO↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 1,   BioAv↑, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 6,   eff↓, 1,   eff↑, 3,   RadioS↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 1,   EZH2↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   TP53↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   chemoP↑, 1,   radioP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 155

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 7,   Catalase↑, 3,   Ferroptosis↓, 1,   GPx↑, 2,   GSH↑, 5,   GSTs↑, 2,   HO-1↑, 12,   HO-2↓, 1,   Keap1↓, 1,   lipid-P↓, 3,   MDA↓, 3,   MPO↓, 1,   NQO1↑, 2,   NRF2↑, 11,   ROS↓, 12,   SOD↑, 6,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology ⓘ

Ferritin↑, 1,   IronCh↑, 4,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AMPK↑, 2,   cytoP450↓, 1,   glucose↓, 1,   GlucoseCon↑, 1,   GLUT2↑, 1,   LDL↓, 2,   NADPH↓, 1,   NADPH↑, 1,   PPARγ↑, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Akt↑, 1,   p‑Akt↑, 1,   Bcl-2↑, 1,   Casp3↓, 1,   Ferroptosis↓, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

Ach↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

GSK‐3β↓, 2,   mTOR↓, 1,   p300↓, 1,   PI3K↑, 1,   STAT3↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

AP-1↓, 1,   mt-ATPase↑, 1,   CDK5↓, 2,   TXNIP↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

NO↑, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

BBB↑, 2,   GLUT3↑, 1,   GLUT4↑, 1,   MRP↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 4,   COX2↑, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   ICAM-1↓, 1,   IL1↓, 1,   IL10↑, 1,   IL12↓, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 3,   IL23↓, 1,   IL4↑, 1,   IL6↓, 4,   Inflam↓, 8,   MCP1↓, 2,   NF-kB↓, 4,   TNF-α↓, 6,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

AChE↓, 4,   BDNF↑, 1,   ChAT↑, 1,   tau↓, 1,   p‑tau↓, 2,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

Aβ↓, 3,   BACE↓, 1,   NLRP3↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 3,   BioAv↑, 3,   BioAv↝, 1,   Dose↝, 2,   eff↑, 2,   Half-Life↝, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,   BMD↑, 1,   creat↓, 1,   CRP↓, 1,   Ferritin↑, 1,   GutMicro↑, 2,   IL6↓, 4,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiAge↑, 1,   cognitive↑, 3,   GFR↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   memory↑, 4,   neuroP↑, 3,   OS↑, 1,   radioP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 1,   toxicity∅, 1,  
Total Targets: 99

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: HO-1, HMOX1
17 Curcumin
2 Chemotherapy
1 Radiotherapy/Radiation
1 Thymoquinone
1 Cisplatin
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#:597  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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