What is curcumin?

Curcumin is the most bioactive curcuminoid present in the rhizome, Curcuma longa, a plant similar to ginger. (1) Curcuma longa is more commonly known as the spice turmeric. Turmeric is a member of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family, it is used in nutraceuticals, cosmetics, food science, and naturopathic medicine. The targeted benefits of these products are typically derived from curcumin. Curcumin is believed to be neuro-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, improve wound healing, and influence molecular processes. The benefits of curcumin seem as though they may be too good to be true; this is in fact the case if you happen to be trying to derive these benefits from a standard form of curcumin. Unfortunately, curcumin can provide many amazing benefits but lacks the bioavailability to deliver them. However, technology exists to circumvent the problematic bioavailability. Curcumin nanoparticles have been shown to be a superior and more bioavailable delivery method for this natural product. Nanoparticles provide the bioactive form of curcumin which allow humans to reap the beneficial qualities of this compound.

Curcumin Neurological Benefits

Curcumin’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits have been ubiquitously discussed among health and fitness communities. Yet the neuropharmacological benefits in recent research may be the most exciting. Curcumin has been shown to amend amyloid-beta oligomer toxicity and modulate growth of amyloid-beta fibrils; this provides a defense against the pathogenic effects leading to cognitive degeneration in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. (2) Curcumin has also displayed neuroprotective effects via multiple pathways. Research has reported curcumin’s ability to decrease neural inflammation markers and downregulating inflammation related proteins. Conversely it upregulates proteins associated with autophagy, a beneficial cellular cleaning process. It also increases expression of acetylcholine related proteins which lead to enhanced acetylcholine activity. This results in decrease of toxicity induced memory loss and learning deficit, with enhancement of cognition under normal circumstances. Curcumin further protected against resperine induced oxidative stress. Haitham S. Mohammed et al. noted specific reduction in oxidative stress within the cortex and hippocampus with the use of curcumin nanoparticles. Hippocampal neurogenesis and mitochondrial function restoration have also been observed. These observed neuroprotective effects protect against neurotoxicity induced brain damage, cognitive impairment, promote recovery from pre-existing neurological stressors, normalize hippocampal mitochondria function, and induce hippocampal neurogenesis. (3,4,5)

Is curcumin an antioxidant?

Curcumin’s protective and healing effects are not limited to the brain. Curcumin has been shown to protect and enhance healing of the liver, kidneys, and endothelial wounds. The curcumin molecule acts as a free radical scavenger, it also upregulates multiple anti-oxidant and cytoprotective proteins; therefore, scientists refer to curcumin as a bifunctional antioxidant. (6) Curcumin induces the transcription factor Nrf2 which regulates phase II detoxification, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective genes. These properties of curcumin have been shown to not only protect the liver and kidneys but ameliorate and reverse stress and epigenetic changes as a result of exogenous toxins. (8) Curcumin has also protected against the progression of irreversible liver damage in an in vivo cirrhosis model, with liver toxicity induced by diethylnitrosamine. (9) In addition to the nephro/hepato protective and healing benefits of curcumin, it has also displayed enhanced endothelial repair in diabetic impaired wound healing models. Diabetes mellitus can cause dysfunctional endothelial progenitor cells which leads to chronic wounds and inhibits healing. Curcumin was shown to accelerate wound healing and restore function of endothelial progenitor cells. (10,11)

Curcumin Bioavailability

Curcumin has tremendous benefits. However, its poor bioavailability creates difficulty in delivering this compound to the cells of the human body. This renders many curcumin supplements inactive. The poor bioavailability is due to curcumin’s hydrophobic nature. The technology of nanoparticles can be used to circumvent this issue. Curcumin nanoparticles can be produced via wet milling, solid dispersion, ultrasonic homogenization, freeze drying, and synthetic chemistry techniques. Curcumin nanoparticles were shown to be significantly more bioactive than regular curcumin. This is due to the nanoparticle’s greater liquid solubility. This led to greater absorption in both oral and injection administrations. The nanoparticles also crossed the blood brain barrier and displayed neuroprotective activity invitro. In March of 2018 Anna Rita Bilia and colleagues conducted a double-blind placebo trial evaluating the efficacy of adjuvant therapy with orally administered curcumin nanoparticles in psoriasis patients. This study found that the group treated with oral curcumin nanoparticles had significant reductions in Psoriasis Area Severity Index and healthier serum cholesterol levels. (5,12) Some products will also utilize curcumin extract with bioperine to enhance absorption.

Curcumin for Health

Curcumin is a truly amazing compound with tons of interesting research from the past to present. The benefits of the compound are a list that is too long to discuss in just one article. Previously the benefits may have seemed questionable due to curcumins poor bioavailability. However, the use of nanoparticle technology is a promising delivery system to provide the benefits desired from the compound. Nanoparticle curcumin has proven benefits for the administration of curcumin via oral and injectable routes and may be applicable to other administration routes. The pharmaceutical development of curcumin may not be financially feasible due to its natural origins and widespread availability, this would prevent the opportunity to patent the compound for exclusive rights. Though the health-conscious consumer has access to the compound and endless amounts of research. This provides the opportunity for amazing health benefits from educated self-administration.

1. Gupta SC, Kismali G, Aggarwal BB. Curcumin, a component of turmeric: from farm to pharmacy. Biofactors. 2013;39(1):2-13. (PubMed)

2. VOLUME 114, ISSUE 3, SUPPLEMENT 1, 227A, FEBRUARY 02, 2018. Binding Behavior and Energetics between Curcumin and Amyloid-β Aggregates at the Molecular Scalen. Tye D. Martin, Angelina J. Malagodi, Eva Y. Chi, Deborah G. Evans

3. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Volume 128, Supplement 1, 20 November 2018, Page S99. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 227 - Neuroprotective efficacy of curcumin in lead (Pb) induced inflammation and cholinergic dysfunction in mice. Jitbanjong Tangpong

4. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. January 2018, Volume 64, Issue 1, pp 129–139| Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Against Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Via Mediating Autophagy and Inflammation Lifa Huang : 15 December 2017

5. Journal of Bionanoscience, Volume 12, Number 2. Formulated Curcumin Nanoparticles Mitigate Brain Oxidative Stress Induced by Reserpine in Rats. Authors: Mohammed, Haitham S.; Khadrawy, Yasser A.; Monem, Ahmed Soltan; Amer, Hanaa M.; El-Sherbini, Tharwat M.; Abd El Rahman, Mohamed K.Nasri H, Abedi-Gheshlaghi Z, Rafieian-Kopaei M. Curcumin and kidney protection; current findings and new

concepts. Acta Persica Pathophysiol. 2016; 1(1):e01

6. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Volume 143, 1 January 2018, Pages 854-865. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Research paper. Activation of anti-oxidant Nrf2 signaling by enone analogues of curcumin. Author links open overlay panelLorraine M.DeckaLucy A.HunsakerbThomas A.Vander Jagtb1Lisa J.WhalenaRobert E.RoyerbDavid L.Vander Jagtb. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.11.048

7. Food and Chemical Toxicology. Volume 123, January 2019, Pages 169-180. Food and Chemical Toxicology. Curcumin restores hepatic epigenetic changes in propylthiouracil(PTU)Induced hypothyroid male rats: A study on DNMTs, MBDs, GADD45a, C/EBP-β and PCNA. Author links open overlay panelSures KumarBunkerAbinashDuttaJyotsnaraniPradhanJagneshwarDandapatG.B.N.Chainy, P.G. Department of Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, 751004, Odisha, India. Received 16 February 2018, Revised 10 October 2018, Accepted 22 October 2018, Available online 24 October 2018.

8. Mediators of Inflammation. Volume 2018, Article ID 5491797, 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5491797. Research Article. Evaluation of Hepatoprotective Effect of Curcumin on Liver Cirrhosis Using a Combination of Biochemical Analysis and Magnetic Resonance-Based Electrical Conductivity Imaging. Eun Jung Kyung,1 Hyun Bum Kim,2 Eun Sang Hwang,2 Seok Lee,2 Bup Kyung Choi,3 Jin Woong Kim,4 Hyung Joong Kim,3 Sang Moo Lim,5 Oh In Kwon,6 and Eung Je Woo3. 1College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. 2Department of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of Korea. 3Impedance Imaging Research Center (IIRC), Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea. 4Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju 61469, Republic of Korea. 5Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul 01812, Republic of Korea. 6Department of Mathematics, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea. Correspondence should be addressed to Jin Woong Kim; jw4249@hanmail.net and Hyung Joong Kim; bmekim@khu.ac.kr. Received 1 September 2017; Accepted 11 April 2018; Published 17 May 2018

9. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. Volume 181, April 2018, Pages 23-30. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. The effect of combined photobiomodulation and curcumin on skin wound healing in type I diabetes in rats. Author links open overlay panelHasanSoleimani

10. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. RESEARCH ARTICLE. Curcumin reverses diabetes‐induced endothelial progenitor cell dysfunction by enhancing MnSOD expression and activity in vitro and in vivo. Sheetal Kadam

11.

12. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology banner. Curcumin nanoparticles potentiate therapeutic effectiveness of acitrein in moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis patients and control serum cholesterol levels. Anna Rita Bilia Maria Camilla Bergonzi Benedetta Isacchi Emiliano Antiga Marzia Caproni. 29 March 2018