Turmeric Contains Potent Blocker of Head and Neck Cancer

Cancer researchers have found recently that curcumin, the main colored component of the spice turmeric, inhibited the activity of the enzyme IKKβ kinase in the saliva of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cancer (HNSCC) patients, and this inhibition correlated with reduced expression of a number of proinflammatory cytokines.

IKKβ kinase is an enzyme complex that is involved in propagating the cellular response to inflammation. This complex is part of the upstream NF-κB signal transduction cascade. IKKβ kinase specifically phosphorylates an inhibitory protein, and this phosphorylation results in the activation of NF-κB.

Investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) collected saliva before and after subjects – 21 HNSCC patients and a similar number of healthy individuals - chewed curcumin tablets. Protein was extracted and IKKβ kinase activity measured. Interleukin (IL-6 and IL-8) levels in the salivary supernatants were measured by ELISA.

Results published in the September 15, 2011, edition of the journal Clinical Cancer Research revealed that curcumin treatment led to a reduction in IKKβ kinase activity in the salivary cells of HNSCC patients. Treatment of cultures of UM-SCC1 cancer cells with curcumin as well as with post-curcumin salivary supernatant showed a reduction of IKKβ kinase activity. Curcumin was well tolerated by the patients and resulted in no apparent toxic effects.

At the molecular level, curcumin was found to bind to the IKK enzyme, an inhibitor of IKKβ kinase, and prevented IKKβ kinase from activating the cancer growth promoter NF-κB.

“This study shows that curcumin can work in the mouths of patients with head and neck malignancies and reduce activities that promote cancer growth,” said senior author Dr. Marilene Wang, professor of head and neck surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles. “And it not only affected the cancer by inhibiting a critical cell signaling pathway, it also affected the saliva itself by reducing proinflammatory cytokines within the saliva.”

“The curcumin had a significant inhibitory effect, blocking two different drivers of head and neck cancer growth,” said Dr. Wang. “There is potential here for the development of curcumin as an adjuvant treatment for cancer. It is not toxic, well tolerated, cheap, and easily obtained in any health food store. While this is a promising pilot study, it is important to expand our work to more patients to confirm our findings.”

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