Curcumin, Heparanase, and TRAIL: Emerging Therapies for Breast Cancer Treatment

Strategic Insights -

A recent surge in oncology research from the United States and Turkey has shed light on novel approaches to treating breast cancer. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has been shown to prevent breast cancer metastasis to the lungs by potentiating chemotherapy. Additionally, heparanase, an enzyme that promotes tumor growth and metastasis, has been implicated in bone resorption in breast cancer patients. Furthermore, investigators in Turkey have discovered that TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) can be used to induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells, and that combining TRAIL with complementary therapies can enhance its effectiveness.

Key Takeaways:

  • Curcumin prevents breast cancer metastasis to the lungs by potentiating chemotherapy, as shown in a study published in Clinical Cancer Research (Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice. Clin Cancer Res, 2005;11(20):7490-7498).
  • Heparanase is an enzyme that promotes tumor growth, angiogenesis, and bone resorption in breast cancer patients, and has been shown to increase bone resorption in animals with primary tumors (Expression of heparanase by primary breast tumors promotes bone resorption in the absence of detectable bone metastases. Cancer Res, 2005;65(13):5778-5784).
  • TRAIL selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells, but resistance to TRAIL can be overcome by combining TRAIL with complementary therapies such as IKK inhibition and DcR2 siRNA (Surface TRAIL decoy receptor-4 expression is correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells. BMC CANCER, 2005;5(1):54).

Statistics:

  • The paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in breast cancer cells was suppressed by curcumin, resulting in a 50% decrease in lung metastasis (Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice. Clin Cancer Res, 2005;11(20):7490-7498).
  • The incidence of breast cancer metastasis to the lung was significantly decreased in animals administered dietary curcumin (Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice. Clin Cancer Res, 2005;11(20):7490-7498).
  • The serum levels of C-telopeptide and TRAP-5b were elevated in animals with primary tumors expressing heparanase, indicating increased bone resorption (Expression of heparanase by primary breast tumors promotes bone resorption in the absence of detectable bone metastases. Cancer Res, 2005;65(13):5778-5784).
  • The expression of TRAIL decoy receptor-4 was highly correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells (Surface TRAIL decoy receptor-4 expression is correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells. BMC CANCER, 2005;5(1):54).

Sources:

  • Aggarwal, B.B., et al. (2005). Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice. Clin Cancer Res, 11(20), 7490-7498.
  • Kelly, T., et al. (2005). Expression of heparanase by primary breast tumors promotes bone resorption in the absence of detectable bone metastases. Cancer Res, 65(13), 5778-5784.
  • Sanlioglu, A.D., et al. (2005). Surface TRAIL decoy receptor-4 expression is correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells. BMC CANCER, 5(1), 54.