A Review on the Potential Effects of Curcumin in the Treatment of Neuroblastoma and its Underlying Mechanisms.

Abstract

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a rare embryonal neuroendocrine tumor that primarily affects children aged 5 years old or younger. In advanced stages, NB requires a multifaceted treatment approach, including a combination of surgery, chemo, and radiation therapy. However, high-risk NB is still associated with poor prognosis, long-term side effects, and a high chance of relapse. To counter the drawbacks of conventional treatments, the antitumor properties of natural substances have been extensively studied in recent years. Curcumin (CUR) is a polyphenol of the plants of the Curcuma longa species and is well-known for its potent biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. CUR may function as a potential therapeutic compound in NB cells by decreasing cell viability, proliferation, and migration, while inducing oxidative stress and apoptosis in cancer cells. Different molecular pathways have been suggested for this anti-cancer activity of CUR, such as caspase-3 activation, p53 and Bcl-2 signaling pathways, inhibition of AKT and FOXO3 nuclear translocation, and regulation of the chaperoning system proteins. Despite its favorable effects, CUR faces several challenges in treating cancer, such as low bioavailability and bioactivity. Consequently, recent studies have focused on the development of CUR nanoformulations and new drug delivery systems, aiming to overcome these barriers. This review provides an updated summary of the recent literature regarding CUR's protective role in NB and the potential underlying mechanisms. In conclusion, CUR and its nanoformulations show great potential for NB management, and we suggest additional well-designed basic and preclinical studies to explore CUR's efficiency in detail, especially its therapeutic effectiveness in humans.