Curcumin: a Potential Cancer Chemopreventive Agent through Suppressing NF-kappaB Signaling

Curcumin, a naturally occurring compound derived from turmeric, has long been suggested with strong therapeutic or preventive potential to against several major human diseases because of its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancerous effects. Although inflammation is a protective effect, persistent inflammation has been believed to involve in the multistage of cancer development. As a result, the aberrantly increased activity of NF-kappaB, a master factor playing a key role in inflammation, is implicated in a variety of human cancers. Curcumin is known to exert anti-inflammatory effects significantly by interrupting NF-kappaB signaling at multiple levels. Many observations indicate that curcumin indeed shows valuable potential in the cancer treatment through inhibiting the activity of I-kappaB kinase, IKK. In this review, the anticancer effects of curcumin and the underlying mechanisms are discussed. We also provide a summary of the recent literatures focusing on NF-kappaB signaling pathways and their potential involvement in the development of anticancer strategies.