A possible compound for the treatment of cystic fibrosis may be
as close as the kitchen spice rack. Researchers at Yale and the
University of Toronto reported recently in Science that
curcumin, an element of the spice turmeric, helps correct a
protein defect associated with this genetic disease. Through a
mechanism that is not completely understood, curcumin protects a
mutant, yet functional, protein from the cell’s quality control
machinery. Cystic fibrosis stems from a defect in this protein,
the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR),
which moves chloride across cellular membranes to maintain a
balance of ions and water. When that balance is disrupted,
mucous becomes a sludge that clogs respiratory and digestive
pathways, ultimately causing infections. Most people with cystic
fibrosis do not live past the age of 30. The most common form of
cystic fibrosis is called delta F508, and is due to the deletion
of a single amino acid from the sequence of CFTR. Although the
protein is still able