Natural Chemopreventive Therapy: Curcumin

Abstract

Curcumin is a therapeutically active, natural biomolecule found in the spice turmeric. The antitumor, antioxidant, antiarthritic, and antiinflammatory effects on the body highlight the medicinal versatility of the compound. Turmeric has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India for millennia, and recent analytical assessments have calculated the chemical profile of curcumin and its related compounds, curcuminoids. The bioavailability of curcumin and other curcuminoids is considerably limited, and optimal absorption may be achieved with the concomitant ingestion of piperine, the pungent compound from black pepper, which preferentially binds curcumin metabolic enzymes to increase curcumin blood plasma levels. Once in circulation, the medicinal effects of curcumin are best realized: inhibiting intravascular lipid peroxidation, preventing transcriptional induction of viral DNA synthesis, and increasing neuronal activity to heighten a sense of mental wellness. These properties note only a few of the known medical uses for curcumin and curcuminoids, as novel therapy applications are explored for their medicinal quotient and scope of therapeutic efficacy. Curcumin, a naturally therapeutic compound found in turmeric, is available, inexpensive, and efficacious for multiple medical conditions. Perhaps future pharmacotherapy will include turmeric from the local grocery.