Curcumin / GSH Cancer Research Results

CUR, Curcumin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in Tumeric. Member of the ginger family.Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from turmeric with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Has iron-chelating, iron-chelating properties. Ferritin. But still known to increase Iron in Cancer cells.
- GSH↓">GSH depletion in cancer cells, exhaustion of the antioxidant defense system. But still raises GSH↑">GSH↑ in normal cells.
- Higher concentrations (5-10 μM) of curcumin induce autophagy and ROS production
- Inhibition of TrxR, shifting the enzyme from an antioxidant to a prooxidant
- Strong inhibitor of Glo-I, , causes depletion of cellular ATP and GSH
- Curcumin has been found to act as an activator of Nrf2, (maybe bad in cancer cells?), hence could be combined with Nrf2 knockdown
-may suppress CSC: suppresses self-renewal and pathways (Wnt/Notch/Hedgehog).
Clinical studies testing curcumin in cancer patients have used a range of dosages, often between 500 mg and 8 g per day; however, many studies note that doses on the lower end may not achieve sufficient plasma concentrations for a therapeutic anticancer effect in humans.
• Formulations designed to improve curcumin absorption (like curcumin combined with piperine, nanoparticle formulations, or liposomal curcumin) are often employed in clinical trials to enhance its bioavailability.

-Note half-life 6 hrs.
BioAv is poor, use piperine or other enhancers
Pathways:
- induce ROS production at high concentration. Lowers ROS at lower concentrations
curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant when blue light is applied
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓
- Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells: GSH↓">GSH↓ Catalase↓ HO1↓ GPx↓
but conversely is known as a NRF2↑ activator in cancer
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑">GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, uPA↓, VEGF↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, SDF1↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMT1↓, DNMT3A↓, EZH2↓, P53↑, HSP↓, Sp proteins↓,
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, CDK6↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓, TET1↓,
- inhibits glycolysis /Warburg Effect and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, OXPHOS↓, GRP78↑, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, FGF↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓, Integrins↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, CK2↓, Hh↓, GLi1↓, CD133↓, CD24↓, β-catenin↓, n-myc↓, sox2↓, OCT4↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK↓, ERK↓, JNK, TrxR**,
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 NF-κB signaling ↓ NF-κB activation ↓ inflammatory NF-κB tone Driver Suppression of survival and inflammatory transcription NF-κB is a primary, repeatedly validated curcumin target explaining pleiotropic downstream effects
2 STAT3 signaling ↓ STAT3 phosphorylation / activity ↔ or mild suppression Driver Loss of pro-survival and proliferative signaling STAT3 inhibition contributes to growth arrest, apoptosis sensitization, and reduced cytokine signaling in tumors
3 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↑ ROS (dose- & context-dependent) ↓ ROS / buffered Conditional Driver Biphasic redox modulation Curcumin can act as a pro-oxidant in cancer cells with high basal stress while acting antioxidant in normal cells
4 Mitochondrial integrity / intrinsic apoptosis ↓ ΔΨm; ↑ caspase activation ↔ preserved Driver Execution of intrinsic apoptosis Mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation occur downstream of NF-κB/STAT3 and ROS effects
5 PI3K → AKT → mTOR axis ↓ AKT / ↓ mTOR ↔ or adaptive suppression Secondary Reduced growth and anabolic signaling AKT/mTOR inhibition contributes to growth suppression and autophagy induction in cancer cells
6 Autophagy ↑ autophagy (protective or pro-death) ↑ adaptive autophagy Secondary Stress adaptation vs cell death Autophagy may be cytoprotective or cooperate with apoptosis depending on context and dose
7 HIF-1α / VEGF hypoxia–angiogenesis axis ↓ HIF-1α; ↓ VEGF ↔ minimal effect Secondary Anti-angiogenic pressure Suppression of hypoxia-driven transcription limits angiogenesis and tumor adaptation
8 Cell cycle regulation ↑ G2/M or G1 arrest ↔ largely spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth control Cell-cycle arrest reflects upstream signaling and epigenetic effects rather than direct CDK inhibition
9 Migration / invasion (EMT, MMP axis) ↓ migration & invasion ↔ Phenotypic Anti-metastatic phenotype Reduced EMT markers and protease activity limit invasive behavior
10 Epigenetic regulation (p300/CBP HAT activity) ↓ histone acetylation ↔ modest Secondary Transcriptional reprogramming Curcumin modulates chromatin via HAT inhibition rather than classic HDAC inhibition


GSH, Glutathione: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Glutathione (GSH) is a thiol antioxidant that scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in the formation of oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Decreased amounts of GSH and a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio in tissues are biomarkers of oxidative stress.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant found in every cell of the body, composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. It plays a crucial role in protecting cells from oxidative stress, detoxifying harmful substances, and supporting the immune system.
cancer cells can have elevated levels of glutathione, which may help them survive in the oxidative environment created by the immune response and chemotherapy. This can make cancer cells more resistant to treatment.
While glutathione can be obtained from certain foods (like fruits, vegetables, and meats), its absorption from supplements is debated. Some people take N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or other precursors to boost glutathione levels, but the effects on cancer prevention or treatment are still being studied.
Depleting glutathione (GSH) to raise reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a strategy that has been explored in cancer research and therapy.
Many cancer cells have altered redox states and may rely on GSH to survive. Increasing ROS levels can induce stress in these cells, potentially leading to cell death.
Certain drugs and compounds can deplete GSH levels. For example, agents like buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) inhibit the synthesis of GSH, leading to its depletion.
Cancer cells tend to exhibit higher levels of intracellular GSH, possibly as an adaptive response to a higher metabolism and thus higher steady-state levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

"...intracellular glutathione (GSH) exhibits an astounding antioxidant activity in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS)..."
"Cancer cells have a high level of GSH compared to normal cells."
"...cancer cells are affluent with high antioxidant levels, especially with GSH, whose appearance at an elevated concentration of ∼10 mM (10 times less in normal cells) detoxifies the cancer cells." "Therefore, GSH depletion can be assumed to be the key strategy to amplify the oxidative stress in cancer cells, enhancing the destruction of cancer cells by fruitful cancer therapy."

The loss of GSH is broadly known to be directly related to the apoptosis progression.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2821- CUR,    Antioxidant curcumin induces oxidative stress to kill tumor cells (Review)
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, *NRF2↑, *ROS↓, *Inflam↓, ROS↑, p‑ERK↑, ER Stress↑, mtDam↑, Apoptosis↑, Akt↓, mTOR↓, HO-1↑, Fenton↑, GSH↓, Iron↑, p‑JNK↑, Cyt‑c↑, ATF6↑, CHOP↑,
1410- CUR,    Curcumin induces ferroptosis and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells by regulating Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway
- vitro+vivo, OS, MG63
tumCV↓, Apoptosis↑, TumCG↓, NRF2↓, GPx4↓, HO-1↓, xCT↓, ROS↑, MDA↑, GSH↓,
1981- CUR,    Mitochondrial targeted curcumin exhibits anticancer effects through disruption of mitochondrial redox and modulation of TrxR2 activity
- in-vitro, Lung, NA
eff↑, ROS↑, mt-GSH↓, Bax:Bcl2↑, Cyt‑c↑, MMP↓, Casp3↑, Trx2↓, TrxR↓, mt-DNAdam↑,
481- CUR,  CHr,  Api,    Flavonoid-induced glutathione depletion: Potential implications for cancer treatment
- in-vitro, Liver, A549 - in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, AML, HL-60
GSH↓, mtDam↑, MMP↓, Cyt‑c↑,
414- CUR,    Transcriptome Investigation and In Vitro Verification of Curcumin-Induced HO-1 as a Feature of Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231
Ferroptosis↑, Iron↑, ROS↑, lipid-P↑, MDA↑, GSH↓, HO-1↑, NRF2↑, GPx↓, ROS↑, Iron↑, GPx4↓, HSP70/HSPA5↑, ATFs↑, CHOP↑, MDA↑, FTL↑, FTH1↑, BACH1↑, REL↑, USF1↑, NFE2L2↑,
404- CUR,    Curcumin induces ferroptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer via activating autophagy
- vitro+vivo, Lung, A549 - vitro+vivo, Lung, H1299
TumAuto↑, TumCG↓, TumCP↓, Iron↑, GSH↓, lipid-P↑, GPx↓, mtDam↑, autolysosome↑, Beclin-1↑, LC3s↑, p62↓, Ferroptosis↑,
406- CUR,    Effect of curcumin on normal and tumor cells: Role of glutathione and bcl-2
- in-vitro, BC, MCF-7 - in-vitro, Hepat, HepG2
GSH↓, Apoptosis↑, Bcl-2↓, cMyc↓,
407- CUR,    Curcumin inhibited growth of human melanoma A375 cells via inciting oxidative stress
- in-vitro, Melanoma, A375
Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, GSH↓, MMP↓,
409- CUR,    Curcumin Inhibits Glyoxalase 1—A Possible Link to Its Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Tumor Activity
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3 - in-vitro, BC, MDA-MB-231
GLO-I↓, GSH↓, ATP↓,
167- CUR,    Curcumin-induced apoptosis in PC3 prostate carcinoma cells is caspase-independent and involves cellular ceramide accumulation and damage to mitochondria
- in-vitro, Pca, PC3
MAPK↑, JNK↑, Casp3↑, Casp8↑, Casp9↑, AIF↑, GSH↓, eff↓, Apoptosis↑, DNAdam↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 10 of 10

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 10

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Fenton↑, 1,   Ferroptosis↑, 2,   GPx↓, 2,   GPx4↓, 2,   GSH↓, 9,   mt-GSH↓, 1,   HO-1↓, 1,   HO-1↑, 2,   Iron↑, 4,   lipid-P↑, 2,   MDA↑, 3,   NFE2L2↑, 1,   NRF2↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↑, 6,   Trx2↓, 1,   TrxR↓, 1,   xCT↓, 1,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology ⓘ

FTH1↑, 1,   FTL↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

AIF↑, 1,   ATP↓, 1,   MMP↓, 3,   mtDam↑, 3,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 1,   GLO-I↓, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 5,   Bax:Bcl2↑, 1,   Bcl-2↓, 1,   Casp3↑, 2,   Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 1,   Cyt‑c↑, 3,   Ferroptosis↑, 2,   JNK↑, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   MAPK↑, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

tumCV↓, 1,   USF1↑, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

ATF6↑, 1,   ATFs↑, 1,   CHOP↑, 2,   ER Stress↑, 1,   HSP70/HSPA5↑, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

autolysosome↑, 1,   Beclin-1↑, 1,   LC3s↑, 1,   p62↓, 1,   TumAuto↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

DNAdam↑, 1,   mt-DNAdam↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

p‑ERK↑, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   TumCG↓, 2,  

Migration ⓘ

BACH1↑, 1,   TumCP↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

REL↑, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

eff↓, 1,   eff↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 60

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Inflam↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 4

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: GSH, Glutathione
10 Curcumin
1 Chrysin
1 Apigenin (mainly Parsley)
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:65  Target#:137  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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