['lizbeth]

Curcumin: A treatment for breast cancer and radiation-induced dermatitis

Julie Ryan, Cody Spencer, Laura Marsh, Amit Deorurkhkar, Sunil Krishnan, Paul Okunieff, Gary Morrow and Alice Pentland University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Unfortunately, common treatment modalities for breast cancer, such as ionizing radiation, damage normal cells and tissues. Radiation-induced skin reactions occur in approximately 90% of patients. Currently, there is no standard treatment for the prevention of radiation-induced skin reactions with demonstrative effectiveness. Curcumin, a major component of turmeric and curry powders, is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with radioprotective and radiosensitizing properties. Since tumors, unlike normal tissues, thrive on inflammation and high levels of growth and angiogenic factors, curcumin could successfully reduce inflammation and breast tumor growth without adversely affecting normal tissues. In this study, we examined the ability of curcumin to act as a radioprotector of skin and as radiosensitizer in human breast cancer cells. SKH-1 hairless mice were intragastrically administered curcumin (200mg/kg) or placebo (corn oil) before or after irradiation with 30 Gy to the left hind leg. After 14 days of observation, radiation-induced dermatitis was observed in all SKH-1 hairless mice, except those administered curcumin post-radiation. In vivo studies were performed in C3H mice to determine if curcumin altered growth of murine mammary tumors. Intragastric and intraperitonal administration of curcumin reduced Mca4 and Mca35 mammary tumor growth by 50% in C3H mice. Five human breast cancer cells lines (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, MDA-MB-453, BT-20, SK-BR-3) and immortalized human mammary cell line MCF-12A were treated with 2µM or 5µM curcumin in the presence and absence of radiation (2 Gy or 4 Gy). Clonogenic survival assays demonstrated that curcumin combined with radiation inhibited survival of the five breast cancer cell lines. These results were confirmed by flow cytometry using the Live/Dead assay. Additionally, curcumin combined with radiation reduced invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 cells. We conclude that curcumin effectively protected skin from radiation damage, but sensitized breast cancer cells to radiation. Overall, curcumin is a promising therapeutic agent for treatment of breast cancer and radiation-induced dermatitis. Future in vivo studies must be performed to determine if curcumin can simultaneously treat dermatitis and breast cancer in combination with radiation therapy.