(P21-019-24) The Protective Impact of Various Curcumin Formulations in Rats With Colon Cancer

Objectives: Curcumin influences a wide array of cellular processes, including immune system regulation, cell-cycle checkpoints, apoptosis, antioxidant activities, and the pathways that control tumor growth and target protein molecules within cells. Using curcumin shows limitations such as poor absorption, rapid degradation, metabolism, and quick excretion. Consequently, numerous research efforts have focused on enhancing the oral bioavailability of curcumin. This study aimed investigate the mechanisms underlying the preventive effects of different curcumin formulations (standard curcumin, CurcuWIN®, and NGUC) on colorectal lesions and to explore how these effects vary with the formulations.

Methods: One hundred male Sprague Dawley rats were allocated into five groups: (i)Control, (ii) DMH, where rats received 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) (15 mg/kg, s.c., once weekly for three weeks); (iii)DMH+Curcumin, in which DMH administration was followed by standard curcumin (100 mg/kg) orally for 21 weeks; (iv)DMH+CurcuWIN®, where DMH treatment was followed by CurcuWIN® (100 mg/kg) given orally for 21 weeks; (v)DMH+NGUC, with DMH treatment followed by NGUC (100 mg/kg) administered orally for 21 weeks.

Results: The survival rates in the control, DMH, DMH+Curcumin, DMH+CurcuWIN®, and DMH+NGUC groups were found to be 100%, 65%, 45%, 40%, and 30%, respectively. Among the DMH-treated groups, the DMH+NGUC group had the highest survival rate at 70% (p=0.008), followed by the CurcuWIN® and standard curcumin groups, with significance levels of p=0.049 and p=0.048, respectively. Additionally, the lowest tumor number was observed in the DMH+NGUC group, followed by the DMH+CurcuWIN® (p < 0.0001) and DMH+Curcumin (p < 0.01) groups. The incidence of adenocarcinoma was highest in the DMH group at 90.2%, while the curcumin, CurcuWIN®, and NGUC groups displayed lower rates of 72.9%, 61.4%, and 48.7%, respectively, with a significant difference (p=0.0002). Additionally, the highest Ki-67 index, indicative of cell proliferation, was observed in the DMH group.

Conclusions: Curcumin formulations have demonstrated a chemopreventive effect in an animal model, with NGUC identified as the most effective form.

Funding Sources: This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBİTAK-121C272).