Curcumin / AMPK 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


AMPK, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
AMPK: guardian of metabolism and mitochondrial homeostasis; Upon changes in the ATP-to-AMP ratio, AMPK is activated. (AMPK) is a key metabolic sensor that is pivotal for the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis. It is well documented that AMPK possesses a suppressor role in the context of tumor development and progression by modulating the inflammatory and metabolic pathways.

-Activating AMPK can inhibit anabolic processes and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway reducing glycolysis shifting toward Oxidative Phosphorlylation.


AMPK activators:
-metformin or AICAR
-Resveratrol: activate AMPK indirectly
-Berberine
-Quercetin: may stimulate AMPK
-EGCG: thought to activate AMPK
-Curcumin: may activate AMPK

-Ginsenosides: Some ginsenosides have been associated with AMPK activation -Beta-Lapachone: A natural naphthoquinone compound found in the bark of Tabebuia avellanedae (also known as lapacho or taheebo). It has been observed to activate AMPK in certain models.
-Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA): associated with AMPK activation
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
5792- CRMs,  HCA,  CUR,  EGCG,  GAR  Caloric restriction mimetics: natural/physiological pharmacological autophagy inducers
- Review, Nor, NA
*CRM↓, AcCoA depleting agents (e.g., hydroxycitrate),
*Dose?, acetyltransferase inhibitors (e.g., anacardic acid, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, garcinol, spermidine)
*AntiAge↑, Another common characteristic of these agents is their capacity to reduce aging-associated diseases and to confer protective responses against ischemia-induced organ damage.
*Acetyl-CoA↓, Altogether, these observations point to the idea that starvation causes autophagy because it results in the early depletion of AcCoA
*SIRT1↑, nduction of the deacetylase activity of sirtuins (as a result of changing NADH/NAD+ ratios and increased SIRT1 expression)
*AMPK↑, activation of AMPK activity (as a result of changing ATP/ADP ratios)
*mTORC1↓, inhibition of MTORC1 (as a result of amino acid depletion).
*AntiAge↑, CR or intermittent fasting are known for their wide life-span-extending
chemoP↑, fasting can reduce the subjective and objective toxicity of cytotoxic anticancer chemotherapies, both in humans and in mouse models, at the same time that it improves treatment outcome in mice

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.

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↓,

168- CUR,    Curcumin inhibits Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling through protein phosphatase-dependent mechanism
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3
Akt↓, Curcumin-mediated inhibition of Akt/mTOR signaling is dependent on calyculin A-sensitive protein phosphatase activity
mTOR↓,
AMPK↑,
TAp63α↑, MAP kinases
TumCP↓, Curcumin inhibited DNA/protein synthesis, cell proliferation, and Akt/mTOR signaling in PC-3 cells

119- UA,  CUR,  RES,    Combinatorial treatment with natural compounds in prostate cancer inhibits prostate tumor growth and leads to key modulations of cancer cell metabolism
- in-vitro, Pca, DU145 - in-vitro, Pca, PC3
ROS⇅, ROS↑ only with CUR alone, otherwise ↓
p‑STAT3↓, all the combination treatments decreased phosphorylation of STAT3
Src↓, All the combinations of these natural compounds also decreased phosphorylation of Src
AMPK↑,
GlutMet↑, UA in combination with both CUR or RES greatly enhanced the modulation of a number of metabolic pathways, including the “Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism” and the “tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle”
TCA↑,
glut↓, Since the combination of CUR + UA and UA + RES decreased the uptake of glutamine


Showing Research Papers: 1 to 5 of 5

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 5

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

ROS⇅, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

p‑ACC-α↑, 1,   AMPK↑, 2,   p‑AMPK↑, 1,   glut↓, 1,   GlutMet↑, 1,   p‑S6K↓, 1,   TCA↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

NBR2↑, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

TAp63α↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

mTOR↓, 2,   Src↓, 1,   p‑STAT3↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

TumCP↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

chemoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 16

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

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

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

Acetyl-CoA↓, 1,   AMPK↑, 2,   CRM↓, 1,   LDL↓, 1,   NADPH↓, 1,   SIRT1↑, 2,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

GSK‐3β↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   mTORC1↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

CDK5↓, 1,   TXNIP↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IL10↑, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL23↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 1,   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,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Dose?, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

AntiAge↑, 3,   memory↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   OS↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 39

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: AMPK, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase
5 Curcumin
1 Calorie Restriction Mimetics
1 HydroxyCitric Acid
1 EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate)
1 Garcinol
1 Ursolic acid
1 Resveratrol
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#:9  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=on  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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