The Potential of Curcumin in Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Current treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) is supportive at best; despite great efforts, the lack of better treatment solutions looms large on neurological science and medicine. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, a spice known for its medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties, has been validated to harbor immense effects for a multitude of inflammatory-based diseases. However, to date there has not been a review on curcumin's effects on SCI. Herein, we systematically review all known data on this topic and juxtapose results of curcumin with standard therapies such as corticosteroids. Because all studies that compare the two show superior results for curcumin over corticosteroids, it could be true that curcumin better acts at the inflammatory source of SCI-mediated neurological injury, although this question remains unanswered in patients. Because curcumin has shown improvements from current standards of care in other diseases with few true treatment options (e.g., osteoarthritis), there is immense potential for this compound in treating SCI. We critically and systematically summarize available data, discuss clinical implications, and propose further testing of this well-tolerated compound in both the preclinical and the clinical realms. Analyzing preclinical data from a clinical perspective, we hope to create awareness of the incredible potential that curcumin shows for SCI in a patient population that direly needs improvements on current therapy.

Safety and Efficacy of Nanocurcumin as Add-On Therapy to Riluzole in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Although previous studies have reported that curcumin is a neuroprotective agent and might improve motor function [10,17], we did not find any significant impact of nanocurcumin on functional measures. One reason for this finding could be the relatively progressed disease in most of the included patients.…”

Immunoregulatory, proliferative and anti-oxidant effects of nanocurcuminoids on adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

“…Curcumin also protects axons from NO-mediated destruction (Tegenge et al, 2014[ 44 ]). A recent study has shown that NPCs combined with curcumin can downgrade the severity of spinal cord injury by affecting the metabolism of prostaglandin, thromboxane, NO, leukotriene, cyclooxygenase and peroxidase (Sanivarapu et al, 2016[ 39 ]).…”

Protective Effects of CISD2 and Influence of Curcumin on CISD2 Expression in Aged Animals and Inflammatory Cell Model

“…Some considerations have been raised about the current curcumin research. First, it has been demonstrated that curcumin can cross the blood–brain barrier [43], and percolate into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) [49]. The CSF can circulate in the subarachnoid space around the brain and spinal cord, which achieves the delivery of curcumin to the spinal cord.…”