Posted on 07/02/2013 8:00:41 PM PDT by neverdem
One of the curcumin–thalidomide hybridsCancer researchers in the US and China have combined the turmeric spice pigment curcumin and the drug thalidomide to create hybrid compounds that can kill multiple myeloma cells.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common type of blood cancer, killing 20% of affected patients each year. The drug thalidomide, banned after causing birth defects when given during pregnancy in the 1950s, was recently rediscovered and approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Thalidomide works by disturbing the microenvironment of tumour cells in bone marrow. However, it disintegrates in the body. Curcumin, a yellow pigment from the common spice turmeric, is also active against cancers, including myeloma, but is limited by its poor water solubility.
Shijun Zhang at Virginia Commonwealth University, US, and colleagues, have synthesised compounds combining structural features from both thalidomide and curcumin. ‘The hybrids have enhanced solubility, and higher toxicity against myeloma cells than curcumin, thalidomide, or a mixture of both,’ explains Zhang, ‘so our design rational is going in the right direction.’ Zhang says the hybrids kill myeloma cells through combined mechanisms of action that include the generation of reactive oxygen species and cell cycle inhibition.
‘The advantage of the hybrid compounds is that they are stabilised, and do not degrade in the body as thalidomide does,’ says William Douglas Figg from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, US, who has conducted numerous studies and clinical trials with thalidomide derivatives. However, from his experience, compounds considered for further trials should be more toxic to myeloma cells.
In the meantime, one of Zhang’s hybrid compounds has shown activity against myeloma and prostate cancer in animal models.
K Liu et al, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/c3ob40595h
I remember the thalidomide babies of the 1960s. Abortion got a big push when some woman from the US was pregnant, used thalidomide, then was afraid the child would be deformed.
I remember the magazines then showing this extremely stressed out woman, while mentioning that abortions were not legal in the US.
She later went to Sweden and got her abortion.
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Thanks for the link.
bflr
Thanks, good advice.
one of my myeloma patients was put on thalidomide, and that was a couple of years ago, so that’s not exactly new.
It is also used for leprosy patients.
Because of the danger to a fetus, they have to be very careful about using the medicine.
I always wondered about turmeric. Everyone in my Grandparent’s generation (in my family) lived well into their 90’s. All of them were raised on farms; all of them canned and pickled everything.
I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what they “ate” that might have been significantly different than our usual daily diet. Aside from the obvious fact that the food was not generally highly processed...I came up with “pickled things” most of which contained Turmeric; and cottage cheese...both of which were served at nearly every meal.
I take my tumeric as well as capsicum with two tablespoons of coconut oil. I'm keto adapted, so the coconut oil is like pouring gasoline into a fire and I can feel the cardio nutrition from the capsicum within seconds.
bttt
This needs a "the rest of the story" addendum. "Was" the aborted fetus (aka "baby") actually deformed??
***This needs a “the rest of the story” addendum. “Was” the aborted fetus (aka “baby”) actually deformed?? ***
According to the Swedish doctor, yes, it was deformed.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/a-never-ending-story/?_r=0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherri_Finkbine
I take one capsule of Turmeric daily (about 550 mg) for cancer prevention, primarily skin cancer. I have read that it can help.
Should I take more than that?
This is a “standardized” vitamin, is that okay?
I have been adding turmeric capsules to my diet for about a year
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!!
you know you are taking enough if you start to crave PEPPER on everything (instead of salt)
ok what is that? it looks delicious
you have to eat ordinary table PEPPER to boost turmeric absorption
how do you take the coconut oil? I assume not by the spoonful (yuck!)
Are those herbs in supplement form?
Sorry, I’m bombarding you with questions. It’s just that theres been a lot of cancer in my family and I’m trying to “save” the rest of us!
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!!!
Tilapia in turmeric
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