Discovery of Curcumin: Miraculous Activity as Anticancer

Abstract Cancer is the second most life-threatening disease and one of the main public health problems worldwide now a day. Despite the great advances in cancer therapy, the incidence and mortality rates of cancer remain high. Therefore, the quest for more efficient and less toxic cancer treatment strategies is still at the forefront of current research. Curcumin is an active ingredient of the Curcuma longa plant, has received great attention over the past twenty years as antioxidant, anti- inflammatory and especially as an anticancer. Curcumin is used as a single agent or in combination with other herbal agents. Modern natural science has shown that Curcumin modulates various signalling molecules, including inflammatory molecules, enzymes, transcription factors, protein kinase, protein reductase, carrier proteins, cell survival proteins, adhesion molecules, drug resistance proteins, growth factors, receptors, cell-cycle regulatory proteins, chemokine, DNA, RNA, and metal ions. In this review article, we discuss the brief discovery, various biological activities specific as anticancer and its mechanism of action of Curcumin, with a particular significance on its activities at the molecular, cellular, animal and human levels. A brief summary of Structure Activity Relationship according with pharmacological activities of Curcumin & its various derivatives in according to anticancer activity is also described in this review. Keywords: Anticancer, Antioxidant, Anti- inflammatory, Cancer, Curcumin, Medicinal chemistry, Pharmacology Cite this Article Mona Patel, Ojash Patel. Discovery of Curcumin: Miraculous Activity as Anticancer. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology . 2020; 9(2): 29–38p.