BCM-95 Curcumin disrupts cancer cell communication, study finds
Shows promise for increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduction of metastasis
A recently published cellular study on colorectal cancer showed that high-absorption BCM-95 Curcumin is able to reduce the spread of cancer cells and potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced colon cancer.
In this new study, published online in the journal PloS ONE, researchers investigated the role of signalling (cellular communication) between colon cancer cells and normal cells and how chemotherapy drugs and BCM-95 Curcumin affect that communication.
They also examined the impact of the treatments on markers of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are responsible for developing resistance to chemotherapy and the recurrence of cancer after treatment.
The study used a 3D tumour culture, which more closely replicates how tumours act in the body than other conventional in vitro cell culture models.
Our recent studies on curcumin continue to reveal its unique potential as a therapeutic strategy in the fight against cancer
One interesting finding was that treatment with 5-FU actually promoted the growth of cancer stem cells, which may account for the high incidence of recurrence in colon cancer.
'Colorectal cancer is especially devastating because of its high recurrence rate,' said Ajay Goel, Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Prevention, Baylor Research Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, and one of the study's authors.
'Cancer stem cells exist in very small numbers in a tumour and can hide from chemotherapy. They're very small in number, but they survive and cause cancer to reoccur, sometimes years later. I believe cancer stem cells are the main reason why we can't stop cancer.
'But our recent studies on curcumin continue to reveal its unique potential as a therapeutic strategy in the fight against cancer,' Goel continued.
'In this study, treatment with curcumin impeded cancer growth and proliferation by inhibiting signalling proteins and blocking tumour cell promotion. The beauty of curcumin is its ability to balance gene expression and positively influence anticancer pathways.'
The best results for inhibiting cancer growth occurred when the curcumin was used as a pretreatment before chemotherapy. The addition of curcumin reduced the amount of 5-FU needed to inhibit cancer cell growth substantially and sensitised the cancer stem cells to chemotherapy treatment.
'I'm particularly excited about curcumin's potential as a prophylactic to chemotherapy,' said Goel. 'We have great hope that using curcumin will extend survival and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.'
The form of curcumin used in the study has unique specifications, including high absorption and inclusion of turmeric essential oil, which is not found in standard curcumin. Therefore, results may not apply to other forms of curcumin.