Turmeric chemical kills cancer cells
POSTED October 28, 2009 - 17:15 | POSTED BY Kangna Agarwal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on October 28, 2009 - 18:01
The findings of the study shed light on the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could lead to a potential treatment for esophageal cancer once tested on a bigger scale.
Dr. Sharon McKenna, lead researcher on the study at the Cork Cancer Research Centre, UK, said, “We think there is potential for this to be developed as an agent to treat resistant esophageal cancer cells.”
Curcumin found to be effective
A team of scientists based at the Cork Cancer Research Centre conducted a lab experiment to determine the therapeutic value of chemical curcumin found in turmeric.
They treated esophageal cancer cells with curcumin and found that the chemical started killing the cancer cells within 24 hours of the exposure. In addition to this, the cells also began to digest themselves.
Esophageal cancer is the cancer of the gullet or the food pipe.
It was noted that cancer cells, which were otherwise resistant to chemotherapy, were found to be sensitive to this chemical.
Previous studies also suggest that curcumin is capable of suppressing cancer tumors and have already attributed curcumin as a potential treatment of diseases like arthritis and dementia.
Dr. Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said, "This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for esophageal cancer.
"Rates of esophageal cancer rates have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too."
Reportedly, nearly 7800 people in UK are diagnosed with esophageal cancer every year which kills more than 5,00,000 people worldwide each year.
The study appears in the British Journal of Cancer.
