Curcumin, inflammation, and neurological disorders: How are they linked?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Immunology

Background:

• Current treatments for neurological disorders remain suboptimal.
• Curcumin, a polyphenol from the *Curcuma* genus, exhibits neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory properties.
• Research indicates curcumin's potential to mitigate neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects of curcumin and its derivatives.
• To explore curcumin's therapeutic potential in various neurological conditions.
• To focus on the signaling pathways involved in curcumin's neuroprotective mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search of the PubMed database for publications on curcumin and neurological diseases.
• Inclusion of relevant clinical trials identified via PubMed search using 'Curcumin and clinical trials'.
• Review of preclinical and clinical investigations detailing curcumin's effects.

Main Results:

• Curcumin demonstrates pleiotropic immunomodulatory functions and neuroprotective properties.
• The review discusses curcumin's effects on Alzheimer's disease, ALS, brain tumors, epilepsy, Huntington's disorder, ischemia, Parkinson's disease, MS, and TBI.
• Key signaling pathways associated with these neurological conditions are analyzed in relation to curcumin's action.

Conclusions:

• Curcumin can suppress spinal neuroinflammation through modulation of astroglia-mediated cascades.
• These findings support curcumin's role as a potential therapeutic agent for neurological disorders.