Curcumin: Promising antioxidant
1998
Supeenun Unchern (Mahidol Univ., Bangkok (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Dept. of Pharmacology)
Turmeric, a ground powder from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, is widely used as a food color, flavor, and as a traditional medicine. The active constituents of turmeric extract ar known as curcuminoids which can be subdivided into three distinct components: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcumin is the major component of turmeric extract which have strong antioxidant activity. From structural consideration, curcumin molecule (diferuloylmethane) have two main sites that can interact with free radicals i.e., at the aromatic rings and the methylene carbon between the two carbonyl groups (Beta-diketone system). Research shows that turmeric and its curcuminoids have a number of beneficial properties: (1) Good antioxidant activity comparing well with vitamin C, vitamin E, and superoxide dismutase; (2) Anti-inflammatory activity that is comparable to steroidal and nonsteroidal drugs: (3) Anticancer properties influencing all the steps of cancer formation: initiation, promotion, and progression; (4) Protects the cardiovascular system by lowering serum cholesterol and inhibit platelet aggregation; (5) In vitro and in vivo studies show curcuminiods can help with HIV in a number of ways. Curcumin have long been in daily human use, and are believed to have little toxicity in moderate doses. Curcumin is nonmutagenic and it has been reported to have no apparent toxicity in animal studies. Curcumin is a safe and potent antioxidant, therefore, supplementation with curcumin may prevent, or be helpful with, the following conditions: (1) Aging; (2) Cancer; (3) Heart diseases; (4) Immunodepression; (5) Inflammation; (6) Rheumatoid arthritis.
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