Bisacurone

Bisacurone inhibits adhesion of inflammatory monocytes or cancer cells to endothelial cells through down-regulation of VCAM-1 expression.[Pubmed:18602074]

Int Immunopharmacol. 2008 Sep;8(9):1272-81.

Bisacurone, one of the active compounds of the traditionally used indigenous herb Curcuma longa Linne (Zingiberaceae), has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-metastatic activities. We studied how the level of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), one of the key molecules in the development of atherosclerosis as well as carcinogenesis and metastasis, might be affected by Bisacurone in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Bisacurone dose-dependently inhibited TNF-alpha-mediated expression of VCAM-1. It showed significant suppressive effect on ROS generation in response to TNF-alpha stimulation and it blocked nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) p65 translocation into the nucleus and phosphorylation of inhibitory factor kappaBalpha (IkappaBalpha). It also inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and PKC, which are upstream in the regulation of VCAM-1 by TNF-alpha. Furthermore, Bisacurone decreased U937 monocyte and human oral cancer cell (Hep-2, QLL-I, SCC-15) adhesion to HUVECs stimulated by TNF-alpha, suggesting that it may inhibit the binding of these cells by regulating the expression of critical adhesion molecules by TNF-alpha. Thus, Bisacurone may be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis, where inflammatory monocytes are involved in their pathology, and, moreover, in the development of tumors.

A hot water extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) suppresses acute ethanol-induced liver injury in mice by inhibiting hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine production.[Pubmed:28620478]

J Nutr Sci. 2017 Jan 12;6:e3.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a widely used spice that has various biological effects, and aqueous extracts of turmeric exhibit potent antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity. Bisacurone, a component of turmeric extract, is known to have similar effects. Oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines play an important role in ethanol-induced liver injury. This study was performed to evaluate the influence of a hot water extract of C. longa (WEC) or Bisacurone on acute ethanol-induced liver injury. C57BL/6 mice were orally administered WEC (20 mg/kg body weight; BW) or Bisacurone (60 microg/kg BW) at 30 min before a single dose of ethanol was given by oral administration (3.0 g/kg BW). Plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were markedly increased in ethanol-treated mice, while the increase of these enzymes was significantly suppressed by prior administration of WEC. The increase of alanine aminotransferase was also significantly suppressed by pretreatment with Bisacurone. Compared with control mice, animals given WEC had higher hepatic tissue levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione, as well as lower hepatic tissue levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, TNF-alpha protein and IL-6 mRNA. These results suggest that oral administration of WEC may have a protective effect against ethanol-induced liver injury by suppressing hepatic oxidation and inflammation, at least partly through the effects of Bisacurone.