Curcumin's role in medical treatments has steadily expanded during the last decade, following groundbreaking discoveries over the nutrient's ability to fight bodily inflammation, Alzheimer's disease and arthritis. Its role has a cancer-fighting element has also grown, and recent research suggests that a pairing of curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, could be paired with another anti-cancer drug to form a treatment method that has shown extremely promising results.
According to the most recent publication of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, an industry journal, a team of scientists combined curcumin with thalidomide, an anti-nausea drug. During preliminary investigations, the group realized that "hybrid molecules" were being formed that were extremely effective against multiple myeloma cells.
Science Daily reported that thalidomide has a colorful medical history. While popular during the first half of the 1950s as a nausea-fighting agent, it was discontinued when a heightened risk of birth defects was discovered. While it has been used sparingly since the mid-1990s, this latest research suggests that a resurgence could be in order, thanks to the beneficial impact of curcumin.
"Although thalidomide disturbs the microenvironment of tumor cells in bone marrow, it disintegrates in the body. Curcumin, also active against cancers, is limited by its poor water solubility. But the combination of thalidomide and curcumin in the hybrid molecules enhances both the cytotoxicity and solubility," Shijun Zhang, the study's lead author, said in a statement.
This development further cements curcumin's status as an effective health-boosting nutrient that is worth exploring. Click here to read more information about Nutrivene Longvida Curcumin.