EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION
Ovarian cancer remains a leading cause of gynaecological cancerrelated deaths, driven by its late-stage diagnosis, high metastatic potential, and frequent development of chemoresistance. Current therapeutic strategies often fail to address the intricate mechanisms underlying tumour progression, nece...
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Istanbul University Press
2025-04-01
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| Series: | İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi |
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| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/687807B60E084084BE1CFFDAF22B4EBD |
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| author | Özlem Timirci Kahraman Deryanaz Billur Esin Bayralı Ülker |
| author_facet | Özlem Timirci Kahraman Deryanaz Billur Esin Bayralı Ülker |
| author_sort | Özlem Timirci Kahraman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ovarian cancer remains a leading cause of gynaecological cancerrelated deaths, driven by its late-stage diagnosis, high metastatic potential, and frequent development of chemoresistance. Current therapeutic strategies often fail to address the intricate mechanisms underlying tumour progression, necessitating innovative approaches. Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, has emerged as a potent epigenetic regulator with multifaceted anticancer properties. This review highlights curcumin’s ability to modulate key epigenetic mechanisms such as microRNA (miRNA/miR) regulation, histone modifications, and DNA methylation, which are central to ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Curcumin selectively reprograms miRNA networks, restoring tumour-suppressive miRNAs while downregulating oncogenic miRNAs, thereby mitigating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and chemoresistance. In addition, curcumin inhibits histone deacetylase (HDACs) and EZH2-mediated histone methylation, reactivating critical tumoursuppressor genes like BRCA1. Through its suppression of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, curcumin reverses promoter hypermethylation, further enhancing tumour-suppressor gene expression. These synergistic epigenetic modulations disrupt oncogenic pathways, improve chemotherapy sensitivity, and restore the immune recognition of tumour cells. Despite its promise, poor bioavailability limits the clinical translation of curcumin, but advanced formulations, including nanoparticlesand liposomes, overcome this limitation. Further research is essential to optimise delivery systems, elucidate long-term epigenetic effects, and validate therapeutic efficacy through clinical trials. This review underscores curcumin’s potential to enhance current ovarian cancer therapies by addressing the critical epigenetic mechanisms involved in tumour progression and resistance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0bc8cd634bb407f8e482e8ba90cb6bb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1305-6441 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Istanbul University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0bc8cd634bb407f8e482e8ba90cb6bb2025-08-20T01:51:20ZengIstanbul University Pressİstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi1305-64412025-04-0188216417110.26650/IUITFD.1631708123456EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATIONÖzlem Timirci Kahraman0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2641-5613Deryanaz Billur1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6079-8224Esin Bayralı Ülker2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8457-1430İstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, TürkiyeThe Ohio State University, Ohio, United-StatesOvarian cancer remains a leading cause of gynaecological cancerrelated deaths, driven by its late-stage diagnosis, high metastatic potential, and frequent development of chemoresistance. Current therapeutic strategies often fail to address the intricate mechanisms underlying tumour progression, necessitating innovative approaches. Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, has emerged as a potent epigenetic regulator with multifaceted anticancer properties. This review highlights curcumin’s ability to modulate key epigenetic mechanisms such as microRNA (miRNA/miR) regulation, histone modifications, and DNA methylation, which are central to ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Curcumin selectively reprograms miRNA networks, restoring tumour-suppressive miRNAs while downregulating oncogenic miRNAs, thereby mitigating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and chemoresistance. In addition, curcumin inhibits histone deacetylase (HDACs) and EZH2-mediated histone methylation, reactivating critical tumoursuppressor genes like BRCA1. Through its suppression of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, curcumin reverses promoter hypermethylation, further enhancing tumour-suppressor gene expression. These synergistic epigenetic modulations disrupt oncogenic pathways, improve chemotherapy sensitivity, and restore the immune recognition of tumour cells. Despite its promise, poor bioavailability limits the clinical translation of curcumin, but advanced formulations, including nanoparticlesand liposomes, overcome this limitation. Further research is essential to optimise delivery systems, elucidate long-term epigenetic effects, and validate therapeutic efficacy through clinical trials. This review underscores curcumin’s potential to enhance current ovarian cancer therapies by addressing the critical epigenetic mechanisms involved in tumour progression and resistance.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/687807B60E084084BE1CFFDAF22B4EBDovarian cancercurcuminepigenetics |
| spellingShingle | Özlem Timirci Kahraman Deryanaz Billur Esin Bayralı Ülker EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi ovarian cancer curcumin epigenetics |
| title | EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION |
| title_full | EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION |
| title_fullStr | EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION |
| title_full_unstemmed | EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION |
| title_short | EPIGENETIC REGULATION BY CURCUMIN IN OVARIAN CANCER: A FOCUS ON miRNA NETWORKS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION |
| title_sort | epigenetic regulation by curcumin in ovarian cancer a focus on mirna networks histone modifications and dna methylation |
| topic | ovarian cancer curcumin epigenetics |
| url | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/687807B60E084084BE1CFFDAF22B4EBD |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ozlemtimircikahraman epigeneticregulationbycurcumininovariancancerafocusonmirnanetworkshistonemodificationsanddnamethylation AT deryanazbillur epigeneticregulationbycurcumininovariancancerafocusonmirnanetworkshistonemodificationsanddnamethylation AT esinbayralıulker epigeneticregulationbycurcumininovariancancerafocusonmirnanetworkshistonemodificationsanddnamethylation |