Curcumin: A Folklore Remedy from Kitchen on the Way to Clinic As Cancer Drug

Numerous compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. The origin of turmeric as spice and folklore medicine is so old that it is lost in legend. Curcumin has many beneficial pharmacological effects which includes, but are not limited with, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antiangiogenic, and antidiabetic activities. Most importantly curcumin possesses immense antitumorigenic effect. It prevents tumor formation in a number of animal models, including models of lung, liver, stomach, colon, breast, esophageal cancer etc. A concise discussion regarding the effects of curcumin on five leading cancers with respect to cancer mortality (lung, liver, stomach, colorectal and breast) and associated molecular mechanisms is included. The potential applications of curcumin as chemopreventive agent, chemosensitizer, and radiosensitizer in both in vitro and in vivo studies have discussed in this chapter. In addition to natural drugs, a large number of synthetic drugs (mainly organic and organometallic) are being used as medicines against cancer. Synergistic role of two or more drugs against any particular disease plays an important role in modern drug discovery research. Subsequently, preclinical and clinical studies of drug synergy have become an intriguing part of translational research. This chapter describes the pertinent recent examples of synergistic role of curcumin with various other molecules with special emphasis to commercial drugs and natural products. Curcumin has also demonstrated the ability to improve patient outcomes in clinical trials

Farmer to Pharmacist: Curcumin as an Anti-Invasive and Antimetastatic Agent for the Treatment of Cancer

A huge number of compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. The origin of turmeric as spice and folklore medicine is so old that it is lost in legend. Curcumin has many beneficial pharmacological effects which includes, but are not limited with, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antiangiogenic, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, and antidiabetic activities. Most importantly curcumin possesses immense antitumorigenic effect. It prevents tumor invasion and metastasis in a number of animal models, including models of lung, liver, stomach, colon, breast, esophageal cancer etc. Invasion and metastasis are considered as one of the hallmarks in cancer biology. The pertinent recent applications of curcumin as anti-invasive and antimetastatic agent in in vitro and in vivo and ex vivo studies as well as associated molecular mechanisms have been discussed in this review. Curcumin has also demonstrated the ability to improve patient outcomes in clinical trials

Investigation of the dynamical slowing down process in soft glassy colloidal suspensions: comparisons with supercooled liquids

The primary and secondary relaxation timescales of aging colloidal suspensions of Laponite are estimated from intensity autocorrelation functions obtained in dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments. The dynamical slowing down of these relaxation processes are compared with observations in fragile supercooled liquids by establishing a one-to-one mapping between the waiting time since filtration of a Laponite suspension and the inverse of the temperature of a supercooled liquid that is rapidly quenched towards its glass transition temperature. New timescales, such as the Vogel time and the Kauzmann time, are extracted to describe the phenomenon of dynamical arrest in Laponite suspensions. In results that are strongly reminiscent of those extracted from supercooled liquids approaching their glass transitions, it is demonstrated that the Vogel time calculated for each Laponite concentration is approximately equal to the Kauzmann time, and that a strong coupling exists between the primary and secondary relaxation processes of aging Laponite suspensions. Furthermore, the experimental data presented here clearly demonstrates the self-similar nature of the aging dynamics of Laponite suspensions within a range of sample concentrations.Comment: 30 pages, includes supporting informatio

Small Molecule EGFR Inhibitors as Anti-Cancer Agents: Discovery, Mechanisms of Action, and Opportunities

Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) are a class of receptor tyrosine kinase that are also called ErbB1 and HER1. EGFR tyrosine kinase activity inhibition is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. Many small-molecule inhibitors of EGFR tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK), from medicinally privileged molecules to commercial drugs, have been overviewed. Particular attention has been paid to the structure of the molecule and its mechanism of action if reported. Subsequent classification of the molecules under discussion has been carried out. Both natural and synthetic and reversible and irreversible EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been discussed. Various types of cancers that are caused by overexpression of the EGFR gene, their possible molecular origins, and their natures have also been counted in this article. Because the EGFR signaling pathway controls the proliferation, growth, survival, and differentiation of cells, and the mutated EGFR gene overproduces EGFR protein, which ultimately causes several types of cancer, proper understanding of the molecular dynamics between the protein structure and its inhibitors will lead to more effective and selective EGFR-TKIs, which in turn will be able to save more lives in the battle against cancer

Pharmacological Aspects of Resveratrol

Resveratrol [(E)-5-(4-hydroxystyryl) benzene-1,3-diol], also known as 3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene also known as resveratrol is classified as a phytoalexin in plants such as nuts, cocoa, berries and grapes for self-defense against injury and pathogenic attacks by bacteria and fungi. Research on this compound did not gain popularity until the 1990s when a published paper implied the relationship between resveratrol and the decrease in cardiovascular complications due to the consumption of grape fermented wine in French populations. This observation sparked research on resveratrol even though its concentration in wine is relatively low, leading to the realization that resveratrol has potential for benefits in other illnesses such as in anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-aging research and benefits towards reproductive organs, among many others that will be discussed in this review. However, most of the research found on the effects of resveratrol have been conducted on animal models, most notably mice, with a limited amount on actual humans. More research is to be expected to compare if the effects on humans will be like those of the animal models

Growth Factors in the Human Body: A Conceptual Update

Growth factors are found in most of the organisms including insects, humans, plants, etc. The name ‘growth factors’ became known when the substances were active in stimulating the growth of cells and tissues. Growth factors are regulatory species (signaling molecules mainly proteins) that are generated by the body which function in binding to receptors on the cell surface and are required to stimulate the growth in living responsive cells by triggering cellular proliferation and/or cellular differentiation pathways, as well as by regulating gene transcription in the nucleus. They are quite versatile by promoting cell growth and act in a paracrine, retrocrine, autocrine, or juxtacrine signaling pathways. Cellular division is stimulated by growth factors in different cell types, while others can be specific to a cell type. Every growth factor binds to a specific receptor on the cellular surface. Cytokines are a family of growth factors that help in stimulating the movement of cells towards inflammatory sites, trauma, and infection. Abnormal regulation and production of growth factors and cytokines tends to cause various diseases that include, but are not limited to, cancer, diabetes, liver fibrosis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. A critical discussion with a focus on the diverse role and abundance of front-line growth factors in human body is presented. Bio-pharmacological relationships between growth factors with several diseases have also been incorporated in this article