Neuroprotective effects of curcumin

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Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:197-212.

Neuroprotective effects of curcumin.

Cole GM, Teter B, Frautschy SA.

Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Geriatric

Research, Education, and Clinic Center, Sepulveda, CA 91343, USA.

Neurodegenerative diseases result in the loss of functional neurons

and synapses. Although future stem cell therapies offer some hope,

current treatments for most of these diseases are less than adequate

and our best hope is to prevent these devastating diseases.

Neuroprotective approaches work best prior to the initiation of

damage, suggesting that some safe and effective prophylaxis would be

highly desirable.

Curcumin has an outstanding safety profile and a number of

pleiotropic actions with potential for neuroprotective efficacy,

including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-protein-aggregate

activities. These can be achieved at submicromolar levels.

Curcumin's dose-response curves are strongly dose dependent and

often biphasic so that in vitro data need to be cautiously

interpreted; many effects might not be achievable in target tissues

in vivo with oral dosing.

However, despite concerns about poor oral bioavailability, curcumin

has at least 10 known neuroprotective actions and many of these

might be realized in vivo. Indeed, accumulating cell culture and

animal model data show that dietary curcumin is a strong candidate

for use in the prevention or treatment of major disabling age-

related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's,

and stroke. Promising results have already led to ongoing pilot

clinical trials.