Curcumin, the active compound found in turmeric, has shown significant promise in treating diseases associated with inflammation, aging, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Despite its potential, curcumin faces challenges in clinical use due to its poor absorption, lack of tissue specificity, and difficulty in delivery to the brain. Recent research has explored ways to improve curcumin’s effectiveness, such as using advanced drug delivery systems like nanocarriers (e.g., liposomes and polymersomes) that help the compound reach the brain more effectively.
Curcumin has shown various beneficial effects, including reducing inflammation in the brain, promoting the growth of new brain cells, and regulating important brain chemicals like dopamine. These effects make curcumin a potential therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, a metabolite of curcumin, called tetrahydrocurcumin, is also being studied for its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective benefits.
While curcumin has shown neuroprotective actions in animal models, its effectiveness in human clinical trials still requires more research. Scientists are working on improving its bioavailability (the ability to be absorbed and utilized by the body) through new delivery methods and formulations. These efforts may pave the way for curcumin to be used more widely in the treatment of brain disorders and aging-related conditions.
Full text: Ricardo Lagoa, Logesh Rajan, Cristiana Violante, Smith B. Babiaka, Dorinda Marques-da-Silva, Bhupinder Kapoor, Flávio Reis, Atanas G. Atanasov, Application of curcuminoids in inflammatory, neurodegenerative and aging conditions – Pharmacological potential and bioengineering approaches to improve efficiency, Biotechnology Advances, 108568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108568