ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND CANCER-PREVENTIVE IMMUNOMODULATION THROUGH DIET - EFFECTS OF CURCUMIN ON T-LYMPHOCYTES

Curcumin, found in turmeric and curry, is a cancer preventive antioxidant. Amongst its many functions, it inhibits cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase dependent metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), which have immune-modulating activities. This study investigates the effects of curcumin on the T cell branch of the immune system: T helper-1 cells (Th1) which produce interleukin-2 (IL-2), T helper-2 cells (Th2) which produce interleukin-4 (IL-4) and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) which mediate tumor cell lysis. We found that commercial grade curcumin, at 10-60 mu M, moderately enhanced IL-4 production, although IL-2 production remained unchanged. Moreover, the development of CTL was also unaffected.