Curcumin as a multidrug resistance modulator — A quick review

Curcumin, a typical flavonoid compound derived from the plant Curcuma longa, has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, as it is nontoxic and has a variety of therapeutic properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic activities. More recently curcumin has been found to possess anticancer activities by acting on multiple intracellular signaling network molecules. However, multidrug resistance (MDR) mediated by P-gp, MRP1, LRP and BCRP is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of cancer. Currently, research has step towards reversing MDR by using curcumin. This review will summarize the MDR mechanisms and the new points on the regulation of MDR protein expression and function by curcumin. The current in vitro and in vivo data related to the MDR reversing activity of curcumin in human cancers as well as the accurate mechanisms concerning curcumin as an adjuvant chemotherapeutic reversal agent have also been discussed in brief.