Some like it hot: curcumin and CFTR.

The activation of mutant forms of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), particularly the most frequent mutant allele (DeltaF508), is a potential strategy for the treatment of the disease cystic fibrosis (CF). Therefore, it is of great interest that curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric, is reported to restore function to this allele, both in heterologous expression systems and in DeltaF508 CF mice. Although other laboratories have not been able to confirm the initial observations, activating DeltaF508 CFTR could have such important therapeutic implications that a thorough investigation of the potential of curcumin is warranted.