Spices and Inflammation 1
Running Head: Spices and Inflammation
Spices Reduce Inflammation in the Body
Kristine Ponce
University of North Florida
Donna Jones
11/19/2012
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Spices and Inflammation in the Body
Introduction
Inflammation in the body can cause disease processes to occur in the body. These
diseases consist of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even diabetes. The literature review
shows how spices, particularly cur cumin, help aid in the reduction of inflammation in the body.
Cur cumin is proven to inhibit certain inflammatory responses, and stop the inflammation before
it begins. By preventing or reducing inflammation in the body a person can significantly reduce
their risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Background
Inflammation is a chronic issue that can cause minor problems in the joints or can be
more serious causing heart disease, cancer, or increased sensitivity in diabetics. NSAIDs are a
common over-the-counter aid to treat inflammation. NSAID stands for nonsterodial antiinflammatory drug. According to the American Journal of Medicine, “107,000 patients are
hospitalized for NSAID use and 16,500 deaths occur among arthritis patients alone.” NSAIDs
can lead to other complications including ulcers, heart burn, and upset stomach. While they do
aid in reducing inflammation and relieving pain in the body, these medications also cause other
complications that will need to be medically addressed.
Spices were first documented to be used for various health issues around the year 3500
B.C. by the Ancient Egyptians. Around 7,000 B.C. trade between and Asia and the Middle East
became more popular and new spices began to be introduced. Many spices were found to have
healing properties, specifically anti-inflammatory properties. Cur Cumin property found in the
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spice Turmeric was found to have the most anti-inflammatory response. If this proves to be
correct then spices could replace harmful NSAIDs in the medical field.
Inflammatory Response
The inflammatory response is triggered by infection, lifestyle, and environment. It
begins when there is stress in an area of the body. Macrophages release cytokines into the body
as a response to this stress. The cytokine interleukin -1B (IL-1B) is one of the first to be released
to the site; once at the site the cytokine proceeds to infiltrate the cells surrounding the area.
During this process more cytokines are trigged and brought to the site. IL-IB begins to migrate
through the blood stream to the brain. Here IL-1B will activate prostaglandin E2 which initiates
the onset of fever, nausea, and other more serious symptoms. The inflammation process changes
dues to different diseases.
Certain neurodegenerative disorders activate the JNK pathway and 6-OHDA. The JNK
pathway allows cell receptors to be passed along it to the site, including certain death receptors.
One of these death receptors is 6-OHDA which attaches to the neurons in the brain. Once this is
achieved neurotoxicity occurs leading to Parkinson’s, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s. Other
factors contributing to neurodegenerative diseases include medulloblastoma cells regulated by
the NF-kB transcription factor. A medulloblastoma is a malignant brain tumor beginning in the
posterior fossa, which is the thick membrane separating the two hemispheres. NF-kB
proliferation occurs from free radicals, and cytokines in the body. NF-kB binds to DNA and
ultimately changes that DNA causing medulloblastomas to form.
Obesity and Diabetes is induced by certain inflammation processes in the body.
Cytokines released from fat include Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), interleukin (IL-6), monocyte
chemotactic protein ((MCP)-1), and IL-1. These cytokines lead to insulin resistance and chronic
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inflammation. TNF is activated in body by NF-kB, which is a direct link to insulin resistance.
IKK or IkB- kinase frees the NF-KB factor to roam freely in the body leading to free radicals and
an increased risk for obesity. The coenzyme Acetyl CoA is the key cause of lipids in adiposities;
this is a precursor to fatty acid deposits in the body. Free fatty acids activate NF-kB which leads
to an excess of TNF and interleukin IL-6. This leads to a decrease in insulin sensitivity causing
type 2 Diabetes. Obesity can tie to this because it increases the release of pro-inflammatory
cytokine IL-6, which can also lead to cardiovascular disease.
A. Jungbauer, S. Medjakovic / Maturitas 71 (2012) 227– 239
Fig. 1. Schematic overview of how metabolic syndrome develops from adipose tissue [7]
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The liver is susceptible to inflammation due to an increase of cytokines in this area. Here
inflammation is brought on through NF-kB and JNK pathways. TNF, IL-1B, and IL-6 are
activated causing greater oxidative stress levels in the body. This is known as hepatic
inflammation. Prolonged oxidation and inflammation in the liver can lead to permanent liver
damage or liver cancer.
Common free radicals in the body that lead to cancer include IL-1B, TNF, NF-kB, and
NSAID-activated gene-1 (NAG-1). ROS which are free radicals in the body are the main cause
of cancer. NOS, another free radical in the body, worsens the effect of ROS by causing
oxidation inflammation. COX-2 over expression is brought on by inflammation in the body.
COX-2 has been found in the carcinogenesis of many tumors which lead to various different
cancers; including breast, colon, pancreatic, etc. It has been proven that NF-kB is found active in
many cancer patients and plays an important role in inflammation induction.
Cur Cumin effect on Inflammation
Cur Cumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the body. In various
disease processes such as neuro-degeneration, obesity, diabetes, and cancer cur cumin has shown
to prohibit activation of these processes. By stopping certain pathways and preventing activation
from occurring cur cumin stops inflammation and in turn the disease process from progressing.
In neurodegenerative diseases cur cumin was found to target the JNK pathway;
preventing it from releasing more cytokines into the body. Cur cumin was also found to disrupt
the NF-kB pathway; protecting cells from neurotoxicity due to 6-OHDA. It was also found that
cur cumin weakened malignant glioma cells and pituitary tumors. These findings were obtained
by giving male rats 500 ppm of dietary cur cumin bi-weekly for a year. Another study was done
to find cur cumin’s effect on stroke. An injection of 1 or 2mg/kg was injected into rats 30
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minutes after focal cerebral ischemia. The result was a decrease in “infarct volume, improved
neurological deficit, decreased mortality, and reduced water content of the brain.”
Cur Cumin was also found to have protective agents against obesity and diabetes. Mice
were given 1% w/w cur cumin to see its effect on inflammation due to obesity. It was found that
cur cumin prohibited the activation of the JNK pathway. Stopping the phosphorylation of IKK
prohibits the activation of NF-kB; this stops the inflammation process before it begins.
Interleukin 1-B was also reduced allowing for insulin function to return to normal. NFkB, TNF,
and Il-1B are all key factors in over production of insulin in diabetics. This over production of
insulin leads to elevated blood sugar and increased risk for obesity. Cur Cumin given at
500gm/kg was found to reduce these pathways.
A study was done to see cur cumin’s affect on liver infection. Rats were given 18.5
ug/ml of cur cumin for 8 weeks. Cur cumin was found to decrease the activation of NF-kB in the
liver as well as reduce the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Through the suppression of
NF-kB cells were protected against liver fibrosis. Hepatic inflammation was reduced in the rats
along with a reduction in oxidative stress suggesting that cur cumin has anti-inflammatory and
anti-oxidant effects. Another study evaluated fatty liver diseases by giving 1% w/w of cur cumin
to mice. It was found that Triglyceride levels in the liver were greatly lowered. This would
propose that cur cumin could be useful in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and obesity.
Human studies were done however, that should cur cumin may not be of beneficial value.
A study done in Taiwan gave volunteers 8,000 mg of cur cumin for three months and found that
the levels in the body quickly wore off after 12 hours and was only highly effect 1 to 2 hours
directly after administration. Another study done in the U.S. gave a much smaller dose at 50-200
mg and found no trace of the spice in their volunteers. England did a study to test cur cumin’s
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toxicity levels and its bioavailability. They gave 15 people 180 mg of cur cumin mixed with
volatile oils found in curcuminoid. The result was that the patients received no toxicity from the
oils but that the bioavailability of cur cumin was very low. This study went further to select 12
patients who had colorectal cancer. They administered 450, 18,000, or 3,600 mg of cur cumin 7
days prior to surgery. It was determined that the levels of cur cumin needed to have any drug
like effect on hepatic levels would not be reasonable in humans.
Due to cur cumin’s anti-oxidative properties it is still thought that it could be used for the
treatment of cancer despite the previous studies. Rats were given 10um of cur cumin, and it was
proven that cur cumin did destroy the production of ROS. It was also shown that cur cumin
could have effect as a chemoprevention, when mice were given 1-20um of cur cumin and had
greatly reduced macrophage NOS activity. Cur cumin was found to have effects inhibiting
inflammation by stopping the arachidonic acid pathway which promotes COX-2 an
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inflammatory agent. COX-2 is expressed in the brain causing tumors and leading to cancer.
By reducing the effect of COX-2 it prohibited the pathway of NF-kB and the expression of IKK.
This has been directly linked to the decrease in risk for colorectal cancer. NF-kB has been
directly linked to cancer and tumors in the body. Due to cur cumin’s multi-cellular approach to
inflammation makes it a key drug idea for cancer.
Conclusion
Cur cumin has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects.
Reduction of inflammation and oxidation in the body leads to a lesser risk of cancer, obesity,
diabetes, and heart disease. The studies proved that cur cumin has the ability to prevent disease
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processes in the body. Unfortunately, the studies also showed that the amounts of cur cumin
necessary to act as a pharmaceutical against these disease processes would not be feasible for a
person to consume. Since cur cumin was shown to have beneficial properties it would be good
to take as a preventative before inflammation and oxidation occurs in the body; taking upward
limits of 3,600mg a day.
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References
1. Aggarwal BB. Targeting Inflammation-Induced Obesity and Metabolic diseases by
Curcuma and other nutraceuticals. Annu Rev Neutr. 2010, 30:173-199
2. Aggarwal BB, Gupta SC, Kannappan R, Kim JH, Reuter S. Neuroprotection by SpiceDerived Nutraceuticals: You Are What You Eat. Mol Neurobiol. 2011, 44: 142- 159
3. Alappat L, Awad A. Curcumin and Obesity: Evidence and Mechanisms. Nut Rev. 2010,
68(12): 729-738
4.
Barret EP, Basch E, Ulbricht C., et. Al; Turmeric (Curcuma Longa). Natural Standard.
2011, 17: 225-236
5. Basnet P, Basnet NS. Curcumin: An anti-inflammatory molecule from curry spice on the
pathway to cancer prevention. MDPI. 2011, 16: 4567-4598
6. Bystrianyk R. Toxi and Deadly NSAID. Health Sent. 2010.
7. Chao JC, Chang CC, Tam KW, Tsai YH, Wu SJ. Curcumin and Saikosaponin A Inhibit
Chemical-Induced Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Rats. Am Jo of Chinese Med.
2010. 38: 99-111.
8. Cherian OL,Nisha VM, Padmakumari KP, Priyarani M, Raghu KG, Sankarikutty B.
Inhibitory potential of ginger extracts against enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes,
inflammation and induced oxidative stress. In Jo of Nat Food and Sci. 2011. 62(2): 106110.
9. Jungbauer A, Medjakovic S. Anti-inflammatory properties of culinary herbs and Spices
that ameliorate the effect of metabolic syndrome. Maturitus. 2011. 71: 227-239.
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