Curcumin with Docetaxel [Taxotere]

[pjoshea13]

New cell study below.

-Patrick

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/281...

Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2017 Mar 1;9:235-245.

Combinatorial effect of curcumin with docetaxel modulates apoptotic and cell survival molecules in prostate cancer.

Banerjee S1, Singh SK1, Chowdhury I2, Singh R3.

Author information

1Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology,Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview drive, SW, Atlanta- 30310 USA.

2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview drive, SW, Atlanta- 30310 USA.

3Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology,Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview drive, SW, Atlanta 30310 USA., [e-mail].

Abstract

Docetaxel is the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agent to target androgen signaling in metastatic prostate cancer (PCa); however, prolonged treatment with docetaxel results in drug-resistant cancer cells. Combination therapies have the potential of increasing the effectiveness of drug treatment as well as decreasing the side effects. Curcumin is a nontoxic organic compound with multifaceted chemopreventive potential. In this study, we evaluated whether curcumin can reinforce the effect of docetaxel on PCa cells. The PCa cell lines DU145 and PC3 were treated with curcumin and docetaxel alone or in combination. After completion of the treatment cell proliferation and the expression of pro-survival and anti-apoptotic markers and the signaling molecules were analyzed. The combined treatment of curcumin and docetaxel inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis significantly higher than the curcumin and docetaxel-treated group alone. Interestingly, the combined treatment with curcumin and docetaxel modulates the expression of RTKs, PI3K, phospho-AKT, NF-kappa B, p53, and COX-2. These results suggest that curcumin can be a potential therapeutic contender in enhancing the efficacy of docetaxel in PCa treatment.

PMID: 28199187

[PubMed - in process]

[AlanMeyer]

That looks really useful. I've taken curcumin for years in hopes of preventing or delaying Alzheimer's Disease. As far as I can tell, it is perfectly safe and has no nasty side effects (if taken with food, without food it can give me a slight upset stomach.) Experiments with lab rats getting gigantic doses have also shown no ill effects.

It therefore seems that there is a safe, cheap, non-prescription supplement that shows some sign of being helpful. Why not take it?Alan

[Neal-Snyder in reply to AlanMeyer]

Most of the supplements I take, & a couple of the meds, specify that they are to be taken with meals. That includes curcumin, which I've been taking for years as part of my PCa arsenal (I didn't even know about the Alzheimer's benefit). I've been taking omeprazole (generic Prilosec) & ranitidine (generic Zantac) for many years, which allowed me to eat tons of the spicy foods I love. Recently, I suspected (I don't know why) that I could cut back, & then that I could stop them completely. I'm doing great, & eating spicy meals twice a day now in Thailand. The point I'm getting to is that I've added curcumin & all these other "with meals" supplements into my life, & yet my heartburn issues are gone. So I think we just need to follow directions with curcumin & other supplements that seem promising--& the number is growing as Patrick's very helpful research reviews continue.

I'm not taking aspirin, but I'd like to know whether it causes damage only when taken without food, or even when taken with meals.

[AlanMeyer in reply to Neal-Snyder]

I see that on the bottle of curcumin I have it says they "recommend" taking it with meals.

There's an article about curcumin and Alzheimer's Disease by Dr. Andrew Weill here: drweil.com/vitamins-supplem...

He says that he never saw it do any good for AD but he speculates that low bioavailability (most of the substance is passed out without ever making into the blood stream much less the brain) may be the problem.

I would think that low bioavailability is a problem for all applications of curcumin for all diseases but, hey, it's cheap, and if I try hard I can almost convince myself that I'm not just passively waiting for AD to get me as it did my mother, but I'm doing something about it.

Alan

[Neal-Snyder in reply to AlanMeyer]

Sorry about your mom, Alan. I've switched twice to try to get a more bioavailable curcumin. I'm on the one Patrick O'Shea uses now: Curcu-Brain. Sounds like it's the one for you, in case you're not there already.

You wrote a reply to something I wrote, over a week ago. I wanted to write that I agreed, but I was in Laos & I wasn't signed in all the time anymore. When I got back to Thailand, I still wasn't signed in, so I changed my password. I can't remember if I wrote to you then, & I can't find it now. You were saying that the patient was too far along for what I was suggesting, & I agree.

[pjoshea13 in reply to AlanMeyer]

Alan,

CurcuBrain [Longvida] came out of UCLA:

longvida.com/story.html

There are 5 Longvida studies:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?te...

The earliest one proved that it crosses the blood-brain barrier. Proof of bioavailability, I'd say.

There is a new paper on curcumin & Alzheimer's:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/282...

-Patrick

[AlanMeyer in reply to pjoshea13]

Thanks Neal and Patrick. I'll have a look at the papers.