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Review
. 2016 Feb 25;21(3):264.
doi: 10.3390/molecules21030264.

Curcumin and Health

Mario Pulido-Moran  1   2 , Jorge Moreno-Fernandez  3   4 , Cesar Ramirez-Tortosa  5 , Mcarmen Ramirez-Tortosa  6   7
Affiliations
Review

Curcumin and Health

Mario Pulido-Moran et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Nowadays, there are some molecules that have shown over the years a high capacity to act against relevant pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders or cancer. This article provides a brief review about the origin, bioavailability and new research on curcumin and synthetized derivatives. It examines the beneficial effects on health, delving into aspects such as cancer, cardiovascular effects, metabolic syndrome, antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory properties, and neurological, liver and respiratory disorders. Thanks to all these activities, curcumin is positioned as an interesting nutraceutical. This is the reason why it has been subjected to several modifications in its structure and administration form that have permitted an increase in bioavailability and effectiveness against different diseases, decreasing the mortality and morbidity associated to these pathologies.

Keywords: ROS; anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; bioavailability; cancer; cardiovascular diseases; curcumin; liver disorders; lung diseases; natural compound.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of curcuminoids (methoxy groups in curcumin are shown by discontinuous lines).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Metabolite derivatives of curcumin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
This figure shows a brief summary of the antioxidant properties and ROS scavenger effects of curcumin. (A) Effect of curcumin as ROS and RNS scavengers; (B) Enhanced activities of curcumin on different antioxidant systems.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The three steps in the carcinogenesis process: initiation, promotion and progression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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