An experiment with laboratory mice suggests that curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, may have benefits in the treatment of brain tumors.

Probal Banerjee, PhD, of the College of Staten Island (CUNY), New York, and his colleagues developed a form of curcumin dissolved in DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) to overcome the substance’s poor bioavailability.

The researchers noted that “a large number of brain tumors are caused by metastatic invasion of cancer cells, including melanoma, from other parts of the body. First hand reports reflect the helpless state reached following such infiltration of melanoma, from other parts of the body.” Banerjee and his colleagues implanted melanomas into the brains of laboratory mice and subsequently injected curcumin. Brain tumor formation was blocked in the mice receiving curcumin. The researchers reported that curcumin increased the activity of enzymes involved in triggering the self-destruction of the melanoma cells.

Ref: Brain Research