Results: Our results show that oral curcumin is able to decrease paraprotein load in a select group (i.e., those having a paraprotein level of >20 g/L) of patients with MGUS. Fifty percent (5 of 10) of these patients had a 12% to 30% reduction in their paraprotein levels, while on curcumin therapy. In addition, 27% of patients on curcumin had a >25% decrease in urinary N-telopeptide of type I collagen.
Conclusion: Due to the possible progression of MGUS to multiple myeloma, the potential role of curcumin as a therapeutic intervention for MGUS patients warrants further investigation. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(18):5917–22)..
Fractures are common in myeloma as a result of lytic bone lesions, generalized bone loss, and elevated bone turnover. Although MGUS is largely considered a benign condition, a number of studies show that patients with MGUS are at increased risk of developing fractures even before progression to myeloma (2)…
A Medline search revealed over 1,500 publications describing various activities of this polyphenol. Numerous reports suggest that curcumin has chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects. Curcumin has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of a wide variety of tumor cells, including multiple myeloma cells, through the down-regulation of interleukin-6.
Curcumin has also been shown to inhibit osteoclastogenesis and thus reduce bone turnover. Bharti et al. (10) showed that curcumin suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells and that curcumin inhibits osteoclastogenesis through the suppression of RANKL signaling (11).
Based on the antimyeloma cell activity and inhibition of osteoclastogenesis exhibited by this polyphenol, we postulated that curcumin will inhibit the action of abnormal plasma cells and affect the activity of osteoclast cells in patients with MGUS. This study offered the opportunity to test a possible preventative strategy with little risk…
“Administering a 4g dose of curcumin, we performed a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study, followed by an open-label extension study using an 8g dose to assess the effect of curcumin on FLC response and bone turnover in patients with MGUS and SMM…
25 patients completed the 4g cross-over study and 18 the 8g extension study. Curcumin therapy decreased the free light-chain ratio (rFLC), reduced the difference between clonal and nonclonal light-chain (dFLC) and involved free light-chain (iFLC). uDPYD, a marker of bone resorption, decreased in the curcumin arm and increased on the placebo arm. Serum creatinine levels tended to diminish on curcumin therapy. These findings suggest that curcumin might have the potential to slow the disease process in patients with MGUS and SMM…”
