Using the Pleiotropic Characteristics of Curcumin to Validate the Potential Application of a Novel Gene Expression Screening Platform

Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from curcumin longa that exhibits anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The consumption of foods at supernutritional levels to obtain health benefits may paradoxically result in negative health outcomes. In the present study, multiple targeting characteristics of curcumin were analyzed using our gene expression screening system, which utilized the gene expression signatures of curcumin from human hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer cells to query gene expression databases and effectively identify the molecular actions of curcumin. In agreement with prediction, curcumin inhibited NF-κB and Aurora-A, and induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Curcumin-suppressed NF-κB was identified through inhibition of PLCG1, PIK3R1, and MALT1 in the CD4-T-cell-receptor-signaling NF-κB cascade pathway. The results suggest that our novel gene expression screening platform is an effective method of rapidly identifying unknown biological functions and side effects of compounds with potential nutraceutical benefits.