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A New Perspective on Cancer Therapy: Changing the Treaded Path?
Baidoo, Juliet N E; Mukherjee, Sumit; Kashfi, Khosrow; Banerjee, Probal.
  • Baidoo JNE; Department of Chemistry, The College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA.
  • Mukherjee S; Doctoral Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA.
  • Kashfi K; Department of Chemistry, The College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA.
  • Banerjee P; Doctoral Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Int J Mol Sci ; 22(18)2021 Sep 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1470886
ABSTRACT
During the last decade, we have persistently addressed the question, "how can the innate immune system be used as a therapeutic tool to eliminate cancer?" A cancerous tumor harbors innate immune cells such as macrophages, which are held in the tumor-promoting M2 state by tumor-cell-released cytokines. We have discovered that these tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) are repolarized into the nitric oxide (NO)-generating tumoricidal M1 state by the dietary agent curcumin (CC), which also causes recruitment of activated natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells into the tumor, thereby eliminating cancer cells as well as cancer stem cells. Indications are that this process may be NO-dependent. Intriguingly, the maximum blood concentration of CC in mice never exceeds nanomolar levels. Thus, our results submit that even low, transient levels of curcumin in vivo are enough to cause repolarization of the TAM and recruitment NK cells as well as Tc cells to eliminate the tumor. We have observed this phenomenon in two cancer models, glioblastoma and cervical cancer. Therefore, this approach may yield a general strategy to fight cancer. Our mechanistic studies have so far implicated induction of STAT-1 in this M2→M1 switch, but further studies are needed to understand the involvement of other factors such as the lipid metabolites resolvins in the CC-evoked anticancer pathways.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Glioblastoma / Curcumin / Neoplasms, Experimental Limits: Animals / Female / Humans Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Ijms22189836

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Glioblastoma / Curcumin / Neoplasms, Experimental Limits: Animals / Female / Humans Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Ijms22189836