Turmeric extract can help to treat pancreatic cancer
A new research has shown that curcumin – a compound that can be found in turmeric – can help to overcome the resistance to chemotherapy.
However, the compound is very quickly metabolized and eliminated from the human body when taken orally. For this reason, more clinical studies and trials are needed to test the therapeutic benefits it may have – either on its own, or in combination with other types of conventional treatment.
Cancer stem cells are believed to be the main culprit in the development of chemotherapy resistance in the treatment of PDAC; studies have suggested that they have the ability to escape chemotherapy, and that they may be the main cause of metastasis. However, as the authors of the new study explain, other research has shown that curcumin may block this acquired chemoresistance, although the precise molecular mechanisms for this potential benefit are unknown. Recent evidence has pointed to a subunit of a so-called polycomb protein group as a crucial element in maintaining stem cells. Polycomb proteins play a key role in the differentiation of stem cells, and a subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 has been shown to regulate drug resistance.
When Dr. Goel and colleagues treated pancreatic cells with curcumin, it inhibited the EZH2 pathway, which made the cells more receptive to chemotherapy. Moreover, the researchers found that curcumin blocks the formation of spheroids in cell cultures, which suggests that it would also inhibit the growth and recurrence of tumors. “By treating certain cells with small doses of curcumin, we were able to reverse the pathways that lead to chemoresistance,” says Dr. Goel.
Dr. Goel and his team are hopeful that this natural compound has unique healing potential. “Food-based botanicals have the potential to restore a healthier gene expression in patients but without the toxicity of certain drugs,” he concludes.
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