A common ingredient in curry could help target and destroy chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells, scientists said today. This could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and also help prevent the disease from returning. Researchers at the University of Leicester have been using curcumin - an extract of root turmeric, commonly used to spice up curries - to target chemo-resistant cells。
Colorectal cancer accounts for more than 600,000 deaths a year and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the western world. Lead researcher Dr Karen Brown, said: 'Following treatment for cancer, small populations of cancer cells often remain which are responsible for disease returning.'These cells appear to have different properties to the bulk of cells within a tumour, making them resistant to chemotherapy。
'Previous laboratory research has shown that curcumin, from turmeric, has not only improved the effectiveness of chemotherapy but has also reduced the number of chemo-resistant cells, which has implications in preventing the disease returning. 'We hope that our work will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which curcumin targets resistant cells in tumours。
Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is best known as an orange/yellow powder used as a spice for curries, but has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries。
Vocabulary：
chemotherapy n. 化学疗法
turmeric n. 姜黄；姜黄根粉末
相关中文：
有科学家研究发现，普通的食材“咖喱”能使得癌症患者体内的癌细胞减少。在癌症患者进行化疗期间，咖喱的效果还能使得化疗效果更显著。据说，咖喱内富含“姜黄素”，这种物质具有很好的抗癌、消炎作用。
据统计，世界上有60万人每年死于直肠癌，这种疾病已经成为西方最具“杀伤力”的疾病。一般患者即使已经接受了化疗，然而还有部分癌细胞因抗拒化疗仍将滞留于体内，这部分癌细胞还有将病发的可能。
研究称，“姜黄素”不仅能大大提高化疗的效果，同时也能减少抗拒化疗的癌细胞的数量。
姜黄：常用于调配咖喱，主要成分为姜黄素，成色一般为橘黄色和黄色。从古至今，人们把“姜黄”作为一种医学食材来使用。
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