# Anticancer Mechanisms

### Primary Mechanisms

#### 1. NF-κB inhibition

* Blocks upstream signalling that activates NF-κB
* Reduces inflammatory transcription programs that support tumour survival
* Lowers expression of anti-apoptotic proteins in multiple models

#### 2. Multi-kinase and growth signalling inhibition

* Modulates EGFR, HER2, and VEGF-related signalling
* Suppresses PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity
* Inhibits MAPK/ERK and JAK/STAT3 pathways in several cancer models

#### 3. Apoptosis induction

* Activates caspase-dependent cell death pathways
* Increases Bax/Bcl-2 ratio
* Promotes mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cells

#### 4. Cell-cycle arrest

* Modulates cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases
* Can induce G1/S or G2/M arrest depending on the model

#### 5. Anti-metastatic effects

* Inhibits MMP-2 and MMP-9
* Suppresses EMT-related signalling
* Reduces invasion and migration markers

#### 6. Anti-angiogenic effects

* Lowers VEGF expression
* Reduces tumour-supporting blood vessel signalling

### Secondary Mechanisms

* Epigenetic modulation
* Cancer stem-cell targeting
* Autophagy regulation
* Telomerase-related effects
* Immune-modulating activity
* Redox-dependent cytotoxicity

### Mechanism Summary

Curcumin is best understood as a multi-pathway modulator rather than a single-target agent. That broad activity is part of its appeal, but it also means effects may vary by dose, cancer type, and tumour biology.

### Key References

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) inhibits NF-κB and IκK in mantle cell lymphoma\
<https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16023083/>

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and Curcumin in Cancer Therapy\
<https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.772510/full>

Curcumin induces apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2644749/>

Anti-cancer Effects of Curcumin: Cycle of Life and Death\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2572158/>

Antimetastatic Effects of Curcumin in Oral and Gastrointestinal Cancers\
<https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.668567/full>

Mechanistic insights of curcumin and its analogues in cancer\
<https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37649266/>

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