The long latency and high incidence of prostate
carcinogenesis provides the opportunity to intervene with
chemoprevention in order to prevent or eradicate prostate
malignancies. We present here an overview of the chemopreventive
potential of curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a
well-known natural compound that exhibits therapeutic
promise for prostate cancer. In fact, it interferes with prostate
cancer proliferation and metastasis development through the
down-regulation of androgen receptor and epidermal growth
factor receptor, but also through the induction of cell cycle
arrest. It regulates the inflammatory response through the
inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators and the NF-jB
signaling pathway. These results are consistent with this
compound’s ability to up-induce pro-apoptotic proteins and
to down-regulate the anti-apoptotic counterparts. Alone or
in combination with TRAIL-mediated immunotherapy or
radiotherapy, curcumin is also reported to be a good inducer
of prostate cancer cell death by apoptosis. Curcumin appears
thus as a non-toxic alternative for prostate cancer prevention,
treatment or co-treatment