Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a yellow pigment present in the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) that has been associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antibacterial activities as indicated by over 6,000 citations. In addition, over one hundred clinical studies have been carried out with curcumin. One of the major problems with curcumin is perceived to be the bioavailability. How curcumin should be delivered in vivo, how bioavailable is it, how well curcumin is absorbed and how it is metabolized, is the focus of this review. Various formulations of curcumin that are currently available are also discussed.
Curcumin / Piperine : Besides these natural compounds have been also used to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. One of them is piperine, a major component of black pepper, known as inhibitor of hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation and is also shown to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. This effect of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin has been shown to be much greater in humans than in rats. In humans, curcumin bioavailability was increased by 2,000% at 45 minutes after co-administering curcumin orally with piperine, whereas in rats, it has been found that concomitant administration of piperine 20 mg/kg with curcumin 2 g/kg increased the serum concentration of curcumin by 154% for a short period of 1-2 hours post drug. The study shows that in the dosages used, piperine enhances the serum concentration, extent of absorption and bioavailability of curcumin in both rats and humans with no adverse effects
Key words : Curcumin, Nano-formulation, Biological availability, Metabolism, Anticancer
Recent Developments in Delivery, Bioavailability, Absorption and Metabolism of Curcumin: the Golden Pigment from Golden Spice, Cancer Res Treat. 2014;46(1): 2-18

Background : Dietary bioactive compounds capable of improving metabolic profiles would be of great value, especially for overweight individuals undergoing a caloric restriction (CR) regimen. Curcumin (Cur), a possible anti-obesity compound, and piperine (Pip), a plausible enhancer of Cur’s bioavailability and efficacy, may be candidate agents for controlling body fat, metabolism and low grade inflammation.
Methods : 47 eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 23 weeks to induce obesity. Then, mice were divided into 5 groups. Group 1 continued on HFD ad libitum. The other 4 groups underwent CR (reduced 10% HFD intake for 10 weeks, 20% for 20 weeks) with Cur, Pip, Cur + Pip or none of these. Percent body fat, plasma inflammatory markers associated with obesity (interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12 p70, IL-1β, IL-6 and KC/GRO), plasma Cur metabolites and liver telomere length were measured.
Results : Compared to the other groups, obese mice who underwent CR and received Cur + Pip in their diet lost more fat and had significantly lower IL-1β and KC/GRO. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis of plasma from obese mice under CR showed no difference in Cur metabolite levels between groups supplemented with Cur alone or combined with Pip. However, plasma IL-1β levels were inversely correlated with curcumin glucuronide. Minor modulation of telomere length were observed.
Conclusions : It is plausible that supplementing the high fat diet of CR mice with Cur + Pip may increase loss of body fat and suppresses HFD induced inflammation. Combination of Cur and Pip has potential to enhance CR effects for the prevention of metabolic syndrome.
Curcumin and piperine supplementation of obese mice under caloric restriction modulates body fat and interleukin - Nutrition Metabolism - Taiki Miyazawa, Kiyotaka Nakagawa, Sharon H. Kim, Michael J. Thomas, Ligi Paul, Jean-Marc Zingg, Gregory G. Dolnikowski, Susan B. Roberts, Fumiko Kimura, Teruo Miyazawa, Angelo Azzi and Mohsen Meydani - Miyazawa et al. Nutrition & Metabolism (2018) 15:12

Dietary deficiency of docosahexaenoic acid (C22: 6n-3; DHA) is linked to the neuropathology of several cognitive disorders, including anxiety. DHA, which is essential for brain development and protection, is primarily obtained through the diet or synthesized from dietary precursors, however the conversion efficiency is low. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), which is a principal component of the spice turmeric, complements the action of DHA in the brain, and this study was performed to determine molecular mechanisms involved. We report that curcumin enhances the synthesis of DHA from its precursor, α-linolenic acid (C18: 3n-3; ALA) and elevates levels of enzymes involved in the synthesis of DHA such as FADS2 and elongase 2 in both liver and brain tissue. Furthermore, in vivo treatment with curcumin and ALA reduced anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Taken together, these data suggest that curcumin enhances DHA synthesis, resulting in elevated brain DHA content. These findings have important implications for human health and the prevention of cognitive disease, particularly for populations eating a plant-based diet or who do not consume fish, a primary source of DHA, since DHA is essential for brain function and its deficiency is implicated in many types of neurological disorders.
Conclusion : The n-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA are essential for human health that are obtained through dietary animal sources or synthesized from precursors. We provide evidence that curcumin enhances the biosynthesis of hepatic DHA from n-3 precursors and enhances DHA accretion in the brain. These data provide a novel insight into a potential mechanism by which curcumin ameliorates neurocognitive disease.
Keywords : DHA synthesis; Curcumin; ALA; DPA; omega 3 fatty acids; docosahexaenoic acid
Curcumin boosts DHA in the brain: implications for the prevention of anxiety disorders, Biochim Biophys Acta. 2015 May ; 1852(5): 951–961. doi:10.1016/ j.bbadis. 2014.12.005, Aiguo Wu, Emily E. Noble, Ethika Tyagi, Zhe Ying, Yumei Zhuang

Several compounds extracted from spices and herbs exhibit antiviral effects in vitro, suggesting potential pharmacological uses. Curcumin, a component of turmeric, has been used as a food additive and herbal supplement due to its potential medicinal properties. Previously, curcumin exhibited antiviral properties against several viruses, including dengue virus and hepatitis C virus, among others. Here, we describe the antiviral effect of curcumin on Zika and chikungunya viruses, two mosquito-borne outbreak viruses. Both viruses responded to treatment of cells with up to 5 mM curumin without impacting cellular viability.We observed that direct treatment of virus with curcumin reduced infectivity of virus in a dose- and timedependent manner for these enveloped viruses, as well as vesicular stomatitis virus. In contrast, we found no change in infectivity for Coxsackievirus B3, a non-enveloped virus. Derivatives of curcumin also exhibited antiviral activity against enveloped viruses. Further examination revealed that curcumin interfered with the binding of the enveloped viruses to cells in a dose-dependent manner, though the integrity of the viral RNA was maintained. Together, these results expand the family of viruses sensitive to curcumin and provide a mechanism of action for curcumin's effect on these enveloped viruses.
The ability of curcumin to prevent viral replication strongly suggests that this molecule and its derivatives may hold promise for the development of broad-range antivirals. Curcumin in the human diet, further, could provide a simple means to prevent infection by enveloped viruses.
Keywords: Curcumin Enveloped virus Viral binding
Curcumin inhibits Zika and chikungunya virus infection by inhibiting cell binding - Bryan C. Mounce, Teresa Cesaro, Lucia Carrau, Thomas Vallet, Marco Vignuzzi - Antiviral Research 142 (2017)

Abstract : Turmeric (Curcuma longa), a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, has been used for the treatment of diabetes in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. The active component of turmeric, curcumin, has caught attention as a potential treatment for diabetes and its complications primarily because it is a relatively safe and inexpensive drug that reduces glycemia and hyperlipidemia in rodent models of diabetes. Here, we review the recent literature on the applications of curcumin for glycemia and diabetes-related liver disorders, adipocyte dysfunction, neuropathy, nephropathy, vascular diseases, pancreatic disorders, and other complications, and we also discuss its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The applications of additional curcuminoid compounds for diabetes prevention and treatment are also included in this paper. Finally, we mention the approaches that are currently being sought to generate a “super curcumin” through improvement of the bioavailability to bring this promising natural product to the forefront of diabetes therapeutics.
Conclusion : Recent research has provided the scientific basis for “traditional” curcumin and confirmed the important role of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its associated disorders. Curcumin could favorably affect most of the leading aspects of diabetes, including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and islet apoptosis and necrosis (Figure 2). In addition, curcumin could prevent the deleterious complications of diabetes. Despite the potential tremendous benefits of this multifaceted nature product, results from clinical trials of curcumin are only available in using curcumin to treat diabetic nephropathy, microangiopathy and retinopathy so far. Studies are badly needed to be done in humans to confirm the potential of curcumin in limitation of diabetes and other associated disorders. Further, multiple approaches are also needed to overcome limited solubility and poor bioavailability of curcumin. These include synthesis of curcuminoids and development of novel formulations of curcumin, such as nanoparticles, liposomal encapsulation, emulsions, and sustained released tablets. Enhanced bioavailability and convinced clinical trial results of curcumin are likely to bring this promising natural product to the forefront of therapeutic agents for diabetes by generating a “super curcumin” in the near future.
Curcumin and Diabetes: A Systematic Review, Dong-wei Zhang, Min Fu, Si-Hua Gao, and Jun-Li Liu, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013, Article ID 636053, 16 pages

ABSTRACT : Endurance running training can lead to gradual accumulation of inflammation and soreness ultimately resulting in overuse injuries. Management of soreness and inflammation with pharmaceuticals (i.e. non-prescription pain relievers) during long-term training is not a suitable solution due to known side effects (e.g. gastrointestinal complications, etc.). Dietary polyphenols (i.e. curcumin, pomegranate, etc.) have been purported to reduce inflammation and muscle sore-ness, without these negative side effects making them ideal for use in an exercise model. The purpose of the present feasibility study was to explore the combined effect of optimized curcumin and pomegranate extract supplementation prior to (PRE) and after (4H and 24H) an organized half-marathon race on blood inflammatory proteins and inflammation-associated RNA. Daily supplementation (1000 mg/d) started 26 days before a half-marathon which doubled on days 27-31. Data were analyzed with R software and Welch t-test, significance set at p max 0.05. At both 4H and 24H, supplementation was associated with alterations in protein (IL-10, IL-13, IL-4, ITAC, MIP-1alpha, MIP-3alpha, BDNF, sIL-2Ralpha, and TNF-alpha; p max 0.05) and RNA (CCL22, GUSB, IL-6, LINC00305, NKILA, PTGES, THRIL, TRAF6, ARG2, CD1A, CD55, CFI, CSF2, CXC3CL1, CX3CR1, EDNRB, GATA3, LILRB5, THY1, CD3D, MRC1, GPR183, HAMP, MBL2, CASP3, B2M, KLRF2, PDCD1LG2, IL-10, PTGS2, TLR2, IL-6R, IL-8, IL-7R, MASP1, MYD88, TNFRSF1B, TNFRSF1A, and TIRAP; p max 0.05) biomarkers com-pared to control. Pathway classification of these biomarkers indicated supplementation may be associated with a more favorable muscle recovery profile. Our findings support the notion that combined cur-cumin and pomegranate supplementation may represent a useful addition to a comprehensive exercise training plan.
Study for Curcumin + Pomegranate
Conclusion : Our findings support the notion that combined curcumin and pomegranate supplementation may represent a useful addition to a comprehensive exercise training plan. In conclusion, it is well documented that reduced post-exercise inflammation is associated with a faster return to normal function in activities of daily living or training The key findings of the present study when subjects were supplemented is consistent with previously reported reductions in post-exercise inflammation with curcumin alone Additionally, previous research with resistance training has shown an improvement in muscle damage with the consumption of pomegranate juice that is in line with the results of the current study it is reasonable to speculate that combined supplementation with optimized curcumin and pomegranate extract may be useful as part of a comprehensive plan designed to mitigate post-exercise inflammation/injury and improve subsequent recovery between sessions.
Additional research in this area of study is warranted to further characterize additional supplementation strategies (i.e. flexible dosing, short-term dosing, etc.) and methods for incorporating combined curcumin and pomegranate supplementation into individualized training plans.
Alterations in Systemic Inflammatory Response Following a Half-Marathon Race with a Combined Curcumin and Pomegranate Supplement: A Feasibility Study - Elizabeth A. Tanner , Melody A. Gary , Asheal A. Davis , Stephan Michalik & Brian K. McFarlin

Abstract Background: The dietary spice Curcuma longa, also known as turmeric, has various biological effects. Both a water extract and a supercritical carbon dioxide extract of C. longa showed anti-inflammatory activities in animal studies. However, the anti-inflammatory effect in humans of a mixture of these two C. longa extracts (CLE) is poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the effect of CLE containing anti-inflammatory turmeronols on chronic inflammation and general health.
Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects aged 50 to 69 years with overweight. Participants took two capsules containing CLE (CLE group, n = 45) or two placebo capsules (placebo group, n = 45) daily for 12 weeks, and serum inflammatory markers were measured. Participants also completed two questionnaires: the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale. Treatment effects were analyzed by two way analysis of variance followed by a t test (significance level, p max 0.05).
Results: After the intervention, the CLE group had a significantly lower body weight (p max 0.05) and body mass index (p max 0.05) than the placebo group and significantly lower serum levels of C-reactive protein (p max 0.05) and complement component 3 (p max 0.05). In addition, the CLE group showed significant improvement of the MOS SF-36 mental health score (p max 0.05) and POMS anger-hostility score (p max 0.05).
Conclusion: CLE may ameliorate chronic low-grade inflammation and thus help to improve mental health and mood disturbance.
Discussion : Compared with the placebo group, body weight, BMI, and serum levels of CRP and C3 were significantly lower in the CLE group. In addition, the CLE group showed a significant improvement in the SF-36 subscale score for mental health and the POMS score for anger and hostility. These results suggest that intake of a mixture of a hot water extract and supercritical carbon dioxide extract of C. longa may have the potential to improve mental health and negative mood state by reducing chronic low-grade inflammation.
Curcuma longa extract improves serum inflammatory markers and mental health in healthy participants who are overweight: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Ryusei Uchio , Kengo Kawasaki, Chinatsu Okuda‑Hanafusa, Ryosuke Saji, Koutarou Muroyama, Shinji Murosaki, Yoshihiro Yamamoto and Yoshitaka Hirose

In vitro and pre-clinical studies have suggested that addition of the diet-derived agent curcumin may provide a suitable adjunct to enhance efficacy of chemotherapy in models of colorectal cancer. However, the majority of evidence for this currently derives from established cell lines.
Here, we utilised patient-derived colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) to assess whether curcumin may provide added benefit over 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) in cancer stem cell (CSC) models.
Combination of curcumin with FOLFOX chemotherapy was then assessed clinically in a phase I dose escalation study. Curcumin alone and in combination significantly reduced spheroid number in CRLM CSC models, and decreased the number of cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDHhigh/ CD133−). Addition of curcumin to oxaliplatin/5-FU enhanced anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in a proportion of patient-derived explants, whilst reducing expression of stem cell-associated markers ALDH and CD133. The phase I dose escalation study revealed curcumin to be a safe and tolerable adjunct to FOLFOX chemotherapy in patients with CRLM (n = 12) at doses up to 2 grams daily.
Curcumin may provide added benefit in subsets of patients when administered with FOLFOX, and is a well-tolerated chemotherapy adjunct.
Curcumin inhibits cancer stem cell phenotypes in ex vivo models of colorectal liver metastases, and is clinically safe and tolerable in combination with FOLFOX chemotherapy Cancer Letters 364 (2015) 135–141

The dengue virus is considered to be a globally important human pathogen prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. According to a recent estimate, the disease burden due to DENV infections is ∼390 million infections per year globally in ∼100 countries including the southern US, Puerto Rico and Hawaii, resulting in nearly ∼25,000 deaths mostly among children. Despite the significant morbidity and mortality that results from DENV infections, there is currently no effective chemotherapeutic treatment for DENV infections. We identified curcumin as an inhibitor of DENV2 NS2B/NS3protease in a previous high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign. We synthesized four analogues of curcumin (curcuminoids) and tested the in vitro protease inhibition activity and inhibition of replication by cell-based assays. The results revealed that curcumin is a weak inhibitor of the viral protease. However, the analogues exhibited more potent inhibition of DENV infectivity in plaque assays suggesting that the cellular pathway(s) required for viral replication and/or assembly are targeted by these compounds. Further analysis shows that inhibition of genes involved in lipid biosynthesis, and of actin polymerization by curcuminoids, are likely to be involved as their mode of action in DENV2-infected cells. Three of the curcumin derivatives possess good selectivity indices (SI) ( min 10) when compared to the parent curcumin.
Conclusion : We conclude that curcuminoids exhibit their anti-viral activities through a variety of ways on the host cells, but with modest effect in DENV protease. Modulation of host actin and lipids may be involved in regulating the viral binding and entry. Recent studies on DENV mouse models indicated that curcumin treatment reduced the DENV viremia effectively (Ichsyani et al., 2017) indicating that these analogues might be promising in antiviral therapy against DENV.
Inhibition of dengue virus by curcuminoids - Anuradha Balasubramanian, Rajendra Pilankatta, Tadahisa Teramoto, Ayyiliath M. Sajith, Evaristus Nwulia, Amol Kulkarni, Radhakrishnan Padmanabhan - Antiviral Research 162 (2019) 71–78

Infection with the HCV is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease with an estimated 184 million persons worldwide positive for HCV antibodies and 4 million newly infected each year. The situation is worrying in emerging countries of Central and Southeast Asia, North Africa and Middle East with seroprevalence around 3%–5%. Central Africa and Egypt remain regions of very high endemicity with a 25% prevalence in the latter. Hepatitis C is therefore a global health problem with striking inequalities in the access to healthcare and implementation of treatments between world regions.
(...) Several aspects of this study deserve attention. Curcumin is inexpensive, efficiently blocks HCVentry into hepatocytes, exerts pan-genotypic antiviral activity and can be orally administered and preliminary data from Anggakusuma et al seem to indicate a high barrier to resistance. Recent clinical trials have pointed its high tolerance and favourable safety profile in healthy subjects.10 Curcumin is combinable with existing therapies,9 and may be judiciously combined to per os IFN-free therapies currently under trials, based upon novel pan-genotypic DAA. (...)
Comments for Curcumin
Curcumin against hepatitis C virus infection: spicing up antiviral therapies with ‘nutraceuticals’ - Eve-Isabelle Pécheur, Gut July 2014 Vol 63 No 7

Abstract : Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an ensemble of metabolic conditions that have reached pandemic proportions worldwide. Pathology’s multifactorial nature makes patient management, including lifelong drug therapy and lifestyle modification, extremely challenging. Currently, there is growing evidence about the effectiveness of using herbal supplements in preventing and controlling DM. Curcumin is a bioactive component found Curcuma longa, which exhibits several physiological and pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and anti-diabetic activities. For these reasons, our objective is to systematically review the effects of Curcuma longa or curcumin on DM. Databases such as PUBMED and EMBASE were searched, and the final selection included sixteen studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results showed that curcumin’s anti-diabetic activity might be due to its capacity to suppress oxidative stress and inflammatory process. Also, it significantly reduces fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and body mass index. Nanocurcumin is also associated with a significant reduction in triglycerides, VLDL-c, total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c, serum C reactive protein, and plasma malonaldehyde. Therefore, it can be considered in the therapeutic approach of patients with DM.
Conclusion : T2DM has a multifactorial pathology and affects thousands of people worldwide. Its treatment consists of lifestyle changes, diet, physical activity, and therapies with medications for the rest of life. Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic agent representing a safe and low-cost alternative for this condition’s therapeutic approach, although it is still necessary to know its effective dose. We suggest that more robust and rigorous randomized controlled clinical trials are carried out to establish the role of curcumin in the therapeutics of T2DM.
Keywords: Curcuma longa, curcumin, curcuminoids, diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus
The Effects of Curcumin on Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review, Ledyane Taynara Marton, Laís Maria Pescinini-E-Salzedas, Maria Eduarda Côrtes Camargo, Sandra M Barbalho, Jesselina F Dos Santos Haber, Renata Vargas Sinatora, Claudia Rucco Penteado Detregiachi, Raul J S Girio, Daniela Vieira Buchaim, Patricia Cincotto Dos Santos Bueno, Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2021 May 3

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin supplements on osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods: The databases such as Pubmed and Cochrane Library were searched to collect the article about Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin in the treatment of OA. Then, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected and their data was extracted. Finally, the RevMan5.3 was utilized for risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis, the STATA15.0 were utilized for publication bias assessment, and GRADE tool were used for the evidence quality assessment of primary outcomes.
Results: A total of 15 RCTs involving 1621 participants were included. (1) Compared with placebo, Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin (C.) can decrease the VAS and WOMAC score-pain, the WOMAC score-function and the WOMAC score-stiffness. In terms of adverse events, Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin are comparable to those of placebo. (2) Compared with NSAIDs, Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin have similar effects on joint pain, function and stiffness. The incidence of adverse events in Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin was lower. (3) Compared with the NSAIDs group, C.+NSAIDs can also decrease the VAS and WOMAC score-pain, the WOMAC score-function and the WOMAC score-stiffness. In terms of adverse events, the addition of Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin to NSAIDs did not increase adverse events.
So, Results showed significant effects of supplementations on the VAS and WOMAC score-pain, the WOMAC score-function and the WOMAC score-stiffness.
Conclusion: Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin may be a safer and effective supplement for OA patients. It is recommended to use Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin supplement for OA patients for more than 12 weeks.
Keywords: Curcuma longa Extract; Curcumin; Meta-analysis; Osteoarthritis; Systematic review.
The efficacy and safety of Curcuma longa Extract and curcumin supplements on osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Liuting Zeng, Kailin Yang, Wensa Hao, Ganpeng Yu, Hua Chen, Biosci Rep, 2021 May 21

Oxidative stress, Nrf2-HO-1 and TLR-MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways have been proved to be involved in influenza A virus (IAV) replication and influenzal pneumonia. In the previous studies, we have performed several high-throughput drug screenings based on the TLR pathways. In the present study, through plaque inhibition test, luciferase reporter assay, TCID50, qRT-PCR, western blotting, ELISA and siRNA assays, we investigated the effect and mechanism of action of curcumin against IAV infection in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that curcumin could directly inactivate IAV, blocked IAV adsorption and inhibited IAV proliferation. As for the underlying mechanisms, we found that curcumin could significantly inhibit IAV-induced oxidative stress, increased Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, GSTA3 and IFN-β production, and suppressed IAV-induced activation of TLR2/4/7, Akt, p38/JNK MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Suppression of Nrf2 via siRNA significantly abolished the stimulatory effect of curcumin on HO-1, NQO1, GSTA3 and IFN-β production and meanwhile blocked the inhibitory effect of curcumin on IAV M2 production. Oxidant H2O2 and TLR2/4, p38/JNK and NF-κB agonists could significantly antagonize the anti-IAV activity of curcumin in vitro. Additionally, curcumin significantly increased the survival rate of mice, reduced lung index, inflammatory cytokines and lung IAV titer, and finally improved pulmonary histopathological changes after IAV infection. In conclusion, curcumin can directly inactivate IAV, inhibits IAV adsorption and replication; and its inhibition on IAV replication may be via activating Nrf2 signal and inhibiting IAV-induced activation of TLR2/4, p38/JNK MAPK and NF-κB pathways.
In conclusion, besides directly inactivating IAV and inhibiting IAV adsorption, curcumin can activate Nrf2 signal, stimulates the production of many antioxidases, such as CAT, SOD, GSH-Px, HO-1, NQO1 and GSTA3, suppresses IAV-mediated oxidative stress and further indirectly inhibits IAV-induced activation of TLR2/4, p38/JNK MAPK and NF-κB pathways, which may inhibit both IAV-mediated inflammation and IAV replication. Meanwhile, activation of Nrf2-HO-1 pathway can increase the production of IFN-β which may also further suppress IAV replication. Finally curcumin improves IAV-induced ALI/ARDS (Fig. 8). Additionally, curcumin has been used as a coloring agent and spice in foods for thousands of years, it possesses very low cytotoxicity, this may make curcumin to be utilized to treat IAV infection in the clinic directly.
Inhibition of curcumin on influenza A virus infection and influenzal pneumonia via oxidative stress, TLR2/4, p38/JNK MAPK and NF-κB pathways - Jianping Dai, Liming Gu, Yun Su, Qianwen Wang, Ying Zhao, Xiaoxua Chen, Huixiong Deng, Weizhong Li, Gefei Wang, Kangsheng Li - International Immunopharmacology 54 (2018) 177–187