B-cells are immune system cells that produce antibodies, which are proteins that help fight against certain infections. The abnormal growth of B-cells can lead to some types of cancer in people with HIV/AIDS. One such cancer is non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an aggressive tumour that may not respond well to therapy, particularly if it's located in the brain or has spread to several locations. Doctors are conducting experiments with cocktails of anti-cancer drugs to improve the quality of life and survival rates of people with lymphoma.

Curcumin, which is responsible for the yellow colour in curry, has anti-inflammatory activity. Researchers in Kentucky and South Korea have found that it has potential as a treatment for lymphoma.

Study details

Researchers conducted laboratory experiments on B- and T-cells as well as on several types of B-cell lymphomas.

Results

• Curcumin clearly impaired the growth of four types of B-cell lymphomas. This compound caused the tumour cells to undergo apoptosis (to commit suicide).
• Curcumin blocked the ability of B-cells to grow by 35 to 63 per cent.
• Curcumin also impaired the growth of T-cells by 31 to 72 per cent.

Suppressing the immune system

In light of these results, the researchers believe that, when taken in large doses, curcumin may be as powerful an immune-suppressant as the drug cyclosporin. Cyclosporin is given to organ transplant recipients to help prevent their immune systems from rejecting new organs. Given its potential to suppress the immune system, curcumin should be used with caution by people with HIV/AIDS.

Curcumin and T-cell suicide

Exactly how curcumin affects T-cell function is not clear from these experiments. Curcumin causes lymphoma cells to undergo apoptosis. It would be troubling if curcumin also triggered this process in T-cells.

Curcumin may have limited use as an anti-lymphoma agent. Perhaps tests in SIV-infected monkeys could establish whether or not high-dose curcumin should be tested in humans with lymphoma. The intestine does not absorb curcumin well, so people may take it with the drug piperine, an extract of black pepper that boosts absorption of curcumin when given to mice and humans.

REFERENCES

1. Han S-S, Chung S-T, Robertson DA, et al. Curcumin causes the growth arrest and apoptosis of B cell lymphoma by downregularion of egr-1, C-myc, Bcl-X_L, NF-kB, and p53. Clinical Immunology 1999;93(2):152-161.

2. Dockrell DH, Badley AD, Algeciras-Schimnich A, et al. Activation-induced CD4+ T cell death in HIV-positive individuals correlates with Fas susceptibility, CD4+ T cell count, and HIV plasma viral copy number. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 1999;15(17):1509-1518.

3. Jobin C, Bradham CA, Russo MP, et al. Curcumin blocks cytokine-mediated NF-kB activation proinflammatory gene expression by inhibiting inhibitory factor I-kB kinase activity. Journal of Immunology 1999;163:3474-3483.

4. Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, et al. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Medica 1998;64(4):353-356.

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