Curcumin, a medicinal herbal compound capable of inducing the heat shock response

Abstract

Curcumin, a widely used medicinal compound, induces the heat shock response in vitro as measured by expression of heat shock protein 70. The mechanism of heat shock protein 70 induction depends on activation of heat shock factor-1. Examining known inhibitors of nuclear factor-kappaB for their ability to induce heat shock protein 70 may be a valid screening method to discover novel pharmacologic inducers of the heat shock response.