Investigating the Potential of Curcumin in the Treatment of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis, Network Pharmacology, and Mendelian Randomization

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#curcumin #carcinoma-non-small-cell-lung #lung-neoplasms #mendelian-randomization-analysis #animals

Investigating the Potential of Curcumin in the Treatment of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis, Network Pharmacology, and Mendelian Randomization

Guo et al., 2025 | Phytother Res | Meta Analysis

Citation

Guo Yonglu, Xu Haohao, ... Cai Ruijun. Investigating the Potential of Curcumin in the Treatment of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis, Network Pharmacology, and Mendelian Randomization. Phytother Res. 2025-Nov;39(11):5062-5084. doi:10.1002/ptr.70073

Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy and explore the potential mechanism of curcumin for the treatment and prevention of NSCLC. We searched six databases thoroughly for articles published before December 2024. Stata 15.0 software was applied for systematic review with meta-analysis. We utilized network pharmacology, Mendelian randomization, and molecular docking techniques to investigate the pharmacological properties and potential targets of curcumin in the treatment of NSCLC. Twenty-four studies involving 392 experimental animals were included in this study. Meta-analysis results showed that curcumin significantly reduced tumor volume of mice (p < 0.001) in the NSCLC group compared to the control group. Two hundred twenty-nine curcumin target genes were predicted. 1546 NSCLC-related genes were obtained by taking the intersection of DEGs and genes in the key module of WGCNA. Eight hub genes were identified by protein-protein interaction. The eight hub genes showed significant clinical value and were found to be negatively correlated with the majority of immune cell infiltration. Molecular docking results indicated a good binding affinity between these eight hub genes and curcumin. Mendelian randomization demonstrated a causal relationship between the AURKB level and the increased risk of NSCLC. In this study, the effectiveness of curcumin has been demonstrated in in vivo models of NSCLC by meta-analysis. AURKB has been identified as a high-risk target for NSCLC by network pharmacological analysis and MR for the first time. Our study provides a scientific basis for clinical applications of curcumin in NSCLC.

Key Findings

Our study provides a scientific basis for clinical applications of curcumin in NSCLC.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Curcumin
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Mendelian Randomization Analysis
  • Animals
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Humans
  • Network Pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Protein Interaction Maps

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
  • Vertical: curcumin-cancer

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09