Curcumin as a Therapeutic Agent in Dementia: A Mini Systematic Review of Human Studies

Abstract

Dementia is a leading health problem worldwide, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) representing up to 60% of all dementia cases. A growing interest has recently risen on the potential use of natural molecules in this condition. Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound traditionally used in Indian medicine. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have found a protective effect of curcumin in AD. In the present systematic review we aimed to evaluate the state-of-the-art of clinical trials of curcumin in AD. We retrieved three published studies, while there are several ongoing clinical trials. To date there is insufficient evidence to suggest the use of curcumin in dementia patients. Of note, short-term use of curcumin appears to be safe. Several reasons could be responsible for the discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo findings and human trials, such as low bioavailability and poor study design.

Protective Effects of Indian Spice Curcumin Against Amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Brondino and colleagues (2014) [118] assessed curcumin in clinical trials in AD patients. They evaluated the state-of-the-art of clinical trials of curcumin in AD.…”

“…Of note, short-term use of curcumin appears to be safe. Several reasons could be responsible for the discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo findings and human trials, such as low bioavailability and poor study design [118]. …”

Synergistic effects of combined curcumin and antibiotic in ameliorating an animal model of Helicobacter pylori infection

“…It has been reported in the study that the active ingredient (curcumin) of this plant is effective on the HIV virus, where selected drugs have not been effective for this disease. There are also reports on the effect of Turmeric ether and Ethel on Staphylococcus and Klebsiella pneumonia [22][23][24].…”

Facile Synthetic Design and Characterization of Curcumin-Metformin Adduct: Potential Insights into the Role of This Conjugate in Diseases of Aging

“…The root of the turmeric plant has powerful antioxidant, potent anti-inflammatory properties and has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in India [8][9][10]. It is used as a natural brain protecting substance blocks aggregation and fibril formation, inhibits lipid peroxidation and scavenges nitric oxide radicals [11][12][13][14][15]. Suppression of NF-kB activation by curcumin and further inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase-2 has implications for the treatment of osteoarthritis [16].…”