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Review
. 2025 Feb;77(1):103-123.
doi: 10.1007/s43440-024-00652-y. Epub 2024 Sep 20.

A comprehensive update on the potential of curcumin to enhance chemosensitivity in colorectal cancer

Mahdi Shadnoush  1   2 , Mehrnaz Momenan  2 , Veronique Seidel  3 , Sascha Tierling  4 , Nayeralsadat Fatemi  1 , Ehsan Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad  5 , Mohammad Tayefeh Norooz  6 , Makan Cheraghpour  7
Affiliations
Free article
Review

A comprehensive update on the potential of curcumin to enhance chemosensitivity in colorectal cancer

Mahdi Shadnoush et al. Pharmacol Rep. 2025 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapy agents in CRC treatment is often limited due to toxic side effects, heterogeneity of cancer cells, and the possibility of chemoresistance which promotes cancer cell survival through several mechanisms. Combining chemotherapy agents with natural compounds like curcumin, a polyphenol compound from the Curcuma longa plant, has been reported to overcome chemoresistance and increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutics. Curcumin, alone or in combination with chemotherapy agents, has been demonstrated to prevent chemoresistance by modulating various signaling pathways, reducing the expression of drug resistance-related genes. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive update on studies that have investigated the ability of curcumin to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy agents used in CRC. It is hoped that it can serve as a template for future research on the efficacy of curcumin, or other natural compounds, combined with chemotherapy agents to maximize the effectiveness of therapy and reduce the side effects that occur in CRC or other cancers.

Keywords: 5-fluorouracil; Chemoresistance; Colorectal cancer; Curcumin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Consent for publication: Not applicable.

References

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