Crazy floppy membranes…

Hehe, I love it. Curcumin, the disciplinarian! According to yesterday’s Science Daily newsletter (see http://tinyurl.com/cgxhcp), a recent study shows how curcumin actually works inside the body, at the cell membrane level. Extraordinary. Curcumin actually gets inside our cell membranes, making them more orderly, thus improving the cells’ resistance to infection and malignancy. It acts like a disciplinarian: “behave or else…!!!”

 

My favourite quote from the article: The [cell] membrane goes from being crazy and floppy to being more disciplined and ordered, so that information flow through it can be controlled […]. Amazing, huh? 

 

Interesting titbit: the lead scientist in this project, Prof. Ramamoorthy, As a child in India, […] was given turmeric-laced milk to drink when he had a cold, and […] breathed steam infused with turmeric to relieve congestion.

 

I asked Sherlock if she could get her hands on the full study, but a quick glance at the abstract (http://tinyurl.com/atknp7) tells me that it may be way over my head. I will give it a whirl, though. One important excerpt from the abstract: curcumin has a strong effect on membrane structure at low concentrations. At low concentrations…hmmm, this might help explain a few things…

3 Comments

  1. Hi Margaret

    Another amazing bit of info, I love the way you make it so interesting to read. I have found another article you may be interested in. A lot of the info we already know, but there are a few new bits, I have copied in a particulary interesting paragraph. With the link if you are interested.

    “LOX – 5/12/15 Inhibition / Modulation – Boswellia, Quercetin, Feverfew & Perilla seed, Chinese Scullcap,
    Turmeric and Green Tea, Resveratrol. We want to down regulate Cox-2, Lox 5 & Lox 12- Curcuma,
    Resveratrol, Feverfew, Green Tea EGCC, Boswellin and Chinese Scullcap all do this also GLA and EPA
    regulate LOX pathways. Baicalein, curcuminoids and boswellic acids are effective inhibitors of 12-LOX.
    Blocking 12-LOX can inhibit prostate cancer from spreading to the bone – remember that breast and prostate
    cancers share many similarities. Inhibition of LOX has been shown to effectively induce apoptosis. A link
    has been shown between the activity of the tumor suppressor gene p53, and 15 LOX. When p53 is mutated
    the 15-LO is increased causing tumor growth and preventing cell death. In prostate cancer LOX inhibition
    has potent antiproliferative effects against PC cells through differentiation”.

    All of these we know are good for us, just another conformation as to why.

    For the full piece see (http://www.wpb-radon.com/pdf/Brodhead%20cancer%20recommendations.pdf).

    I hope things are well with you and Stefano

    wishing you both love and health

    Sue

  2. Hello

    For those that want basic information on cell membrane, very basic biological knowledge, I recommend this page: Cell Membrane from Biology Questions and Answers.

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