Adjuvant value of turmeric extract (containing curcumin) in colorectal cancer management

Abstract

Turmeric, the rhizome of Curcuma longa, is a commonly used medicinal and culinary herb in Asian countries. One of its well-known components, curcumin, is becoming a rising star of dietary supplements in recent years due to its multitargeted pharmacological benefits for health, including anticancer and antioxidant effects. However, poor oral absorption in intestine impedes the widespread clinical applications of curcumin. There have been prodigious efforts to develop new formulations of curcumin over the last decade. In fact, bioavailability of curcumin could be simply enhanced when it is used as a whole in turmeric extract, which has been hypothesized and proven in our cell-based and animal models, as well as in the recent clinical trials by other researchers. The mysteries of these interesting findings will be summarized in this chapter. Meanwhile, investigations on the pharmacological efficacies of curcumin or turmeric, especially on colorectal cancer, emerge from the concept of chemopreventive medicinal food and the advancement of oral bioavailability. Recent discoveries of the beneficial effects of curcumin or turmeric extract shown in preclinical studies (animal models and omics analysis) and clinical trials of colorectal cancer will be reviewed in this chapter. The potential adjuvant role of turmeric in colorectal cancer therapy will be explicitly explored and discussed.