Curcumin offers potential therapy for cancers caused by HPV.

Curcumin offers potential therapy for #cancers caused by HPV. Curcumin, an antioxidant found in the curry spice turmeric, has been found to slow or limit the activity of the HPV virus, which causes oral and cervical cancers. Turmeric -- the familiar yellow spice common in Indian and Asian cooking -- may play a therapeutic role in oral cancers associated with human papillomavirus, according to new research published in ecancermedicalscience. One of the herb's key active ingredients -- an antioxidant called curcumin -- appears to have a quelling effect on the activity of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a virus that promotes the development of cervical and oral cancer. There is no cure, but curcumin may offer a means of future control. The research indicates that curcumin turns down the expression of HPV in infected oral #cancer cells by downregulating the levels of cellular transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kB. These findings could suggest a new therapeutic role for curcumin in cancer control. #cancer