Turmeric is a plant from the ginger family that comes from South Asia. It is valued both as a spice and as a natural medicine. Turmeric has many health properties due to the presence of curcuminoids, especially curcumin.

TUMERIC

Turmeric is a spice originating from India, obtained from the root of a plant called turmeric. The properties of turmeric are highly appreciated in Asian cuisine, especially in dishes like curry, as it imparts a distinctive yellow-orange color.

Turmeric also contains another component called CURCUMIN, a polyphenol with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of many types of cancer.

ACTIVE METABOLITES - THE KEY TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TURMERIC

Many products on the market achieve high bioavailability of inactive metabolites of turmeric. The essence of an effective preparation lies in delivering an adequate amount of active metabolites.

CURCUMIN C3 COMPLEX®

is standardized for TETRAHYDROCURCUMIN - DEMETHOXY AND BISDEMETOXY, WHICH ARE ACTIVE METABOLITES.

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CURCUMINOIDS

At the molecular level, curcuminoids inhibit NF-κB (Nuclear Factor-kappaB), the main regulator of the inflammatory process that plays a crucial role in regulating the immune response to infection. This inhibition can help prevent/delay the onset of disease. The action of curcuminoids involves inhibiting several processes that contribute to the proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells.

CURCUMIN C3 COMPLEX® + BIOPERINE® - THE GOLD STANDARD OF TURMERIC

• The most extensively researched turmeric in the world
• Over 80 scientific papers and studies
• Utilized as an active substance in over 45 clinical trials
• The only turmeric on the market with efficacy confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Each turmeric is poorly absorbed, even below 1%. However, when combined with Bioperine®, its bioavailability increases by up to 2000%. Furthermore, the inclusion of appropriate fractions (active metabolites) makes the product highly effective.

THE INFLAMMATION SAGA

Most degenerative diseases lead to chronic, subclinical inflammation. The traditional view of inflammation is that it represents a healing process. While this is true to some extent, when inflammation becomes chronic, it becomes a disease in itself.

Today, the study of inflammation has shifted from the tissue level to the nuclear level. Signaling molecules within the cell have been identified that stimulate the expression of COX enzyme-inducing genes, resulting in inflammation.

Nuclear Factor-B: The Master Regulator of Inflammation

Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-ĸB), as the "master switch," is the primary mediator through which inflammation is "regulated.

Lung cancer is considered one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, accounting for over 1.4 million deaths each year. Lung cancer typically falls into two types, namely non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (which accounts for about 80% of all lung cancers) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (making up the remaining 20% of cases). Despite recent advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, the overall survival rate (beyond 5 years) remains low at 10-20%. Moreover, late diagnosis and lack of effective treatment methods have led to poor prognosis.

The limited efficacy and significant adverse effects associated with conventional lung cancer therapies render them less helpful. However, curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) may be a promising anticancer agent, given its various biological and pharmacological effects demonstrated through the modulation of multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways, including microRNAs (miRNAs) - small, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs considered key regulators of biological processes involved in lung cancer.

Objective:

A brief description of curcumin's action in regulating miRNA involved in lung cancer.

Study design:

This review discusses the role of miRNA in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, the anticancer activity of curcumin in lung cancer, various mechanisms involved, and chemosensitizing properties with different chemotherapeutic agents. Furthermore, studies evaluating the role of curcumin in modulating several miRNAs were highlighted.

Results and discussion:

In both cellular and experimental models, curcumin has demonstrated anticancer potential against lung cancer.

Curcumin acts by modulating multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways that lead to cell apoptosis, inhibition of cell proliferation and migration, and chemoradio sensitization of lung cancer cells.

Recent research has shown that the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin in lung cancer is also dependent on the modulation of several miRNAs.

Conclusion:

MicroRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and thus may be considered potential candidates for therapeutic targets. Curcumin promises to be an effective alternative to conventional therapies due to its regulatory actions against oncogenic and mRNA-positive tumors in lung cancer.

Preclinical evidence:

Globally, over 50% of individuals are estimated to be infected with Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium that selectively colonizes the human gastric epithelium and is associated with gastric and colorectal cancer, as well as gastritis and peptic ulcers. Genetic variability and biofilm-forming ability are believed to make this bacterium resistant to common antibiotics.

As a result, several researchers have sought natural products with antibacterial potential as alternatives, such as curcumin. Several studies suggest that curcumin inhibits H. pylori infection through various roles.

Objective:

Comparison of the antibacterial activity of five different curcumin preparations.

Study design:

In this study, various parameters were evaluated to determine the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunostimulatory properties of different curcumin samples, in addition to their role against oxidative damage caused by H. pylori-induced gastric mucosal inflammation.

The following curcumin samples were used in the study:

Sample #1: Curcumin C3 Complex 95% (purchased from Sabinsa Corp., East Windsor, NJ, USA)

Sample #2: Curcumin powder 65% (from Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA)

Sample #3: Curcumin 94% (from Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA)

Samle #4: Curcumin 95% (from Jarrow Formulas, Los Angeles, CA, USA), and

Sample #5: Curcumin 95% (from Orcas Naturals, Landing, NJ, USA)

 

Results and discussion:

The data suggested that all samples, except for sample #4, exhibited a significant increase in serum IL-4 concentration, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, with Curcumin C3 Complex® (i.e., sample #1) showing the highest effect.

Similarly, sample #1 showed the greatest inhibition of IFN-γ levels (elevated by H. pylori infection) compared to other samples (Fig. 1).

Inhibition of somatostatin and gastrin levels was highest with sample #1.

Except for sample #4, all curcumin samples demonstrated antioxidant efficacy, suggesting a decrease in lipid peroxidation (LPO), a marker of oxidative membrane damage. Similar results were observed for myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, an inflammatory marker.

Curcumin supplementation was able to reduce the total amount and growth of H. pylori bacteria when evaluated in the stomachs of infected animals. Sample #1 exhibited stronger effects.

Assessment of the role of curcumin supplementation in generating anti-H. pylori IgG showed that samples #1, #3, and #5 had the strongest effects, suggesting potent immunostimulatory properties (Fig. 2).

Conclusion:

Overall, curcumin can reduce the effects of H. pylori infection. However, the activity varies among different curcumin samples, despite the clear overall effect of curcumin. Curcumin C3 Complex® (sample #1) has been shown to be the most active among all samples in all conducted tests.

 

US Patent

Bioprotectant Composition, Method of Use, and Process for Extracting Curcuminoids

US5861415A

Filing Date: October 27, 1997

Issue Date: January 19, 1999

Inventors: Majeed Muhammed, Badmaev Vladimir, Rajendran R

Assignee: Sami Chemicals & Extracts, Ltd

 

It has been found that curcuminoids possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, analgesic, anticancer, and detoxifying properties. The present invention relates to compositions comprising three curcuminoids, namely Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, extracted from the rhizomes of the turmeric plant. These compositions have been found to act through antioxidant mechanisms of prevention and intervention.

 

European Patent

Bioprotectant Composition, Method of Use, and Process for Extracting Curcuminoids

EP0839037B1

Filing Date: July 12, 1996

Issue Date: November 13, 2002

Inventors: Majeed Muhammed, Badmaev Vladimir, Rajendran R

Assignee: Sabinsa Corporation

 

It has been found that curcuminoids possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, analgesic, anticancer, and detoxifying properties. The present invention relates to compositions comprising three curcuminoids, namely Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, extracted from the rhizomes of the turmeric plant. These compositions exhibit activity through antioxidant mechanisms of prevention and intervention of curcuminoids.