Inhibitory effect of curcumin on mammalian phospholipase D activity

Curcumin, the major yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa), has strong anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory activities, We examined the effects of curcumin on enzyme activities of the following phospholipases in a cell-free system: G protein-mediated phospholipase D (PLD), phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, and phospholipase A(2) from mouse macrophage-like cell line J774.1 cells, sphingomyelinase from bovine brain, and phosphatidylcholine-phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus, Curcumin inhibited several types of phospholipases, most effectively PLD among those tested, It also inhibited 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced PLD activation in intact J774.1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic action of curcumin is partly due to the inhibition of PLD. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.