Curcumin is a natural anticancer agent that affects the expression of NF-κB, Bcl-2 and Bax in leukemic cells. The combination with VPA causes upregulation of Bax with proliferation arrest, sub-G1 DNA accumulation and cell death in the HL-60 AML cell line. The effect is dependent on p38 activation. The gene discussed is BAX; the disease is acute myeloid leukemia.