Curry favor against cancer
Turmeric has been used in Indian culture for centuries not only as a dye and a spice, but also as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is the most common home remedy for colds and influenza symptoms. Mixed in warm milk or with honey, it’s supposed to bolster the immune system, aid liver function, combat hair loss and many other things.
Now research by scientists at Emory University, peer reviewed and published in the journal of the European Institute of Oncology and the Organization for European Cancer Institutes ecancer medical science says that one of the spice’s key active ingredients appears to have a dampening effect on the activity of human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV is a virus that promotes the development of cervical and oral cancer. There is no cure, but turmeric may offer a means of future control thanks to the antioxidant curcumin present in it.
“Turmeric has established antiviral and anti-cancer properties,” says corresponding author Alok Mishra of Emory University. “And according to our new findings, we could say that it’s good for oral health too.”
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer, which accounts for approximately 5% of all malignant tumours worldwide. In India and South East Asia, it accounts for half of all malignant tumours. Most OSCC is attributed to smoking and alcohol consumption, but a proportion of oral cancers have been demonstrated to contain human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Many studies have established that the high-risk HPVs, especially HPV type 16 (HPV16), are related to a subset of head and neck squamous cancer cells.
Mishra’s research group first noted the effect of curcumin on HPV and cervical cancer cells in 2005. The antioxidant slowed the expression of HPV, suggesting that curcumin could control the extent of HPV infection.
“Since HPV-related oral cancer cases are on rise, we tested the same hypothesis on oral cancer,” Mishra says. They found some very interesting results.
The new research indicates that curcumin turns down the expression of HPV in infected oral cancer cells by downregulating the levels of cellular transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kB as well as HPV16 E6 proteins.
These findings could suggest a new therapeutic role for curcumin in cancer control. The team, mostly of Indian origin, continues to work on the matter. It would be interesting to see the real world application of this finding, and to ascertain if consumption of turmeric in food also has the same benefits.
Either way, Mishra says, the use of curcumin and other anti-oxidants may be good for health in general, and HPV-related oral cancers in particular.
This piece originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Popular Science India. Reprinted with permission. Chhavi Sachdev reserves the right to be identified as its author.
