AICR ScienceNow
Volume 15
Winter 2006
Stronger Than Iron, Curcumin May Prevent Tumors

Curcumin is the phytochemical in the spice turmeric that gives curry
its yellow color. In animal studies, it has prevented the growth of
several types of cancers. It has even been tested in clinical trials as
a way to prevent cancer in humans.

Suzy V. Torti, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Wake
Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., has
studied curcumin's protective effect against cancer. In collaboration
with her research colleagues, Dr. Torti recently found a possible
explanation for how curcumin inhibits tumor growth.

Cancer Cells Deprived of Iron

"We made the unexpected observation that curcumin binds and isolates
iron in cells and tissues," says Dr. Torti. The process of binding and
isolating a metal ion such as iron is known as chelation. Her group
made this discovery after studying the effects of several natural
products.

How chelation of iron by curcumin may prevent cancer is unknown. It may
involve the special need of tumor cells for iron. Although iron is
essential for the body to function, cancer cells are avid for iron. It
is required for their growth and DNA synthesis. In conditions of excess
iron storage, the risk of liver cancer is greatly increased.

Dr. Torti notes, however, that chelation is probably only a part of how
curcumin affects tumors. "Studies have shown lots of partial answers to
the question of why curcumin inhibits tumor growth. Its property of
chelating iron is just another piece of the puzzle of how this simple
molecule works."

Pinpointing the Relationship

In a current, two-year study, funded by AICR, Dr. Torti and her
colleagues are attempting to better define the interaction between iron
and curcumin and their effects on tumor growth. Her study will use mice
that have a genetic defect that causes them to develop intestinal
tumors. The mice will all be fed the same amount of curcumin.

In this study, Dr. Torti will see how many intestinal or liver tumors
the mice develop when they are given varying amounts of iron. "We will
assess whether giving more or less iron when you are also giving
curcumin will affect how the curcumin works in preventing tumors," Dr.
Torti says.

The study will also examine the molecular action of curcumin. This
information could lay the groundwork for developing medicines or
treatments that mimic the chemopreventive actions of curcumin. The
other findings from this study could have important and practical
implications for dietary interventions used to prevent cancer. "Our
study with mice will be the first to provide some measurements of the
effect of different levels of iron when curcumin is being used," Dr.
Torti points out.

If dietary iron reduces the activity of curcumin, this could have
immediate implications for human trials, where iron supplementation
might be avoided or reduced when curcumin is administered. She
concludes, "If people are taking curcumin to prevent them from getting
cancer, and they are also taking iron supplements, the curcumin may be
inactivated by the iron, possibly defeating the whole purpose."

Reference

Buss JL et al. The role of iron chelation in cancer therapy. Current
Medicinal Chemistry. 2003;10(12):1021-34.

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