Turmeric Boosts Glutathione Levels

Date:   2/1/2009 4:07:40 PM ( 15 y ago)

both of these studies show that curcumin, the main compound in turmeric, boost glutathione levels and protects the body against cancer.



http://www.vitacost.com/MedicalLiterature/Turmeric-Curcumin


Mechanisms of anticarcinogenic properties of curcumin: the effect of curcumin on glutathione linked detoxification enzymes in rat liver.

Int J Biochem Cell Biol, 30(4):445-56 1998 Apr

Curcumin, an antioxidant isolated from turmeric (curcuma longa), has been shown to attenuate chemical carcinogenesis in rodents. Previous studies have shown that curcumin causes an increase in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in rodent liver which may contribute to its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Since the effects of curcumin on specific GST isozymes and other glutathione (GSH)-linked enzymes are incompletely defined, we have examined in the present studies the effect of curcumin on hepatic non-protein sulfhydryls and GSH-linked enzymes in male Sprague-Dawley rats. When rats were fed curcumin at doses from 1 to 500 mg kg-1 body weight daily for 14 days, the induction of hepatic GST activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) was found to be biphasic, with maximal induction of about 1.5 fold at the 25 to 50 mg kg-1 body weight dosage.

At higher doses, a decrease was observed in the activity and in the rats treated with 500 mg kg-1 curcumin this activity was below the levels observed in controls. In contrast, GST activity towards 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) increased in a saturable, dose dependent manner. Western-blot analyses of liver cytosols revealed that curcumin caused a dose dependent induction of rGST 8-8, an isozyme which is known to display the highest activity towards 4-HNE, a highly toxic product of lipid peroxidation. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity towards cumene hydroperoxide in liver homogenate was also found to be increased in a saturable manner with respect to curcumin dose. Our results suggest that induction of enzymes involved in the detoxification of the electrophilic products of lipid peroxidation may contribute to the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of curcumin.

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http://www.citeulike.org/user/DevilInPgh/article/1219368


Abstract

Curcumin, an antioxidant present in the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been shown to inhibit chemical carcinogenesis in animal models and has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory agent. While mechanisms of its biological activities are not understood, previous studies have shown that it modulates glutathione (GSH)-linked detoxification mechanisms in rats. In the present studies, we have examined the effects of curcumin on GSH-linked enzymes in K562 human leukemia cells. One micromolar curcumin in medium (16 h) did not cause any noticeable change in glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities. [gamma]-Glutamyl-cysteinyl synthetase activity was induced 1.6-fold accompanied by a 1.2-fold increase in GSH levels. GSH S-transferase (GST) activities towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, and 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) were increased in curcumin-treated cells 1.3- and 1.6-fold, respectively (P=0.05).

The GST isozyme composition of K562 cells was determined as follows: 66% of GST P1-1, 31% of Mu class GST(s), and 3% of an anionic Alpha-class isozyme hGST 5.8, which was immunologically similar to mouse GSTA4-4 and displayed substrate preference for 4HNE. The isozyme hGST 5.8 appeared to be preferentially induced by curcumin, as indicated by a relatively greater increase in activity toward 4HNE. Immunoprecipitation showed that GPx activity expressed by GST 5.8 contributed significantly (~50%) to the total cytosolic GPx activity of K562 cells to lipid hydroperoxides. Taken together, these results suggest that GSTs play a major role in detoxification of lipid peroxidation products in K562 cells, and that these enzymes are modulated by curcumin.


 

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