Turmeric
Curcuma longa
Turmeric is a spice derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma
longa, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).
Rhizomes are horizontal underground stems that send out
shoots as well as roots. The bright yellow color of
turmeric comes mainly from polyphenolic pigments, known
as curcuminoids. Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid
found in turmeric, and is generally considered its most
active constituent
Now, preliminary findings from the University of
California, Los Angeles, suggest that curcumin comes to
the aid of immune system cells called macrophages to
clear away amyloid beta. "We know that macrophages
aren't working properly in Alzheimer's patients, since
they seem to be defective in cleaning amyloid-beta from
brain slices", explained lead researcher Dr. Milan Fiala,
a researcher with the David Geffen School of Medicine at
UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System.
"We have found that curcumin can help some macrophages
to function properly in a test tube," Fiala said. He
said more work is needed to see if the spice works
similarly in the human brain, however. Curcumin is
already known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
properties. Earlier research by another UCLA team found
that curcumin-fed mice with Alzheimer's plaques
experienced a decrease in inflammation and reduced
plaque formation.
The new findings are in current issue of the Journal of
Alzheimer's Disease. In the study, the UCLA researchers
obtained blood samples from six Alzheimer's patients and
three healthy controls. They next isolated macrophages
and treated them with a curcumin solution for 24 hours,
then added amyloid beta. Macrophages from three of the
Alzheimer's patients were observed to start ingesting
the plaque-forming proteins.
"Our research has helped to identify why the brain isn't
being cleared of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's disease
patients," Fiala said. "The immune system can attack and
remove amyloid-beta from the brain, but the job is not
done properly in Alzheimer's patients." Fiala said
macrophages might be as important for Alzheimer's
disease as insulin is for diabetes. "If we can improve
the immune system, we can help the body's natural
ability to clear damaging plaques," he said.
"In terms of treatment implications, it's very
interesting that curcumin seems to help the brain clear
away beta amyloid," noted Dr. Sam Gandy, chair of the
medical and scientific advisory council at the
Alzheimer's Association. "The study also shows an
additional mechanism [besides curcumin's
anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties] that
looks at the actual clean up of plaques," said Gandy,
who is also director of the Farber Institute for
Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in
Philadelphia.
Curcumin's health benefits may extend beyond Alzheimer's
disease. One recent six-month study, carried out by
researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,
found that daily doses of the spice were associated with
a nearly 60 percent lower risk for colon polyps, a known
precursor to colon cancer.
A recent study involving mice has shown that turmeric
slows the spread of
breast cancer into
lungs and other body parts. Turmeric also enhances the
effect of
taxol in reducing
metastasis of breast cancer. It is also said that
turmeric can strengthen the
blood-brain barrier
against attacks that result from
auto-immune diseases
(such as
Multiple sclerosis)[
Curry Pharmaceuticals,
based in North Carolina, is studying the use of a
curcumin cream for
psoriasis
treatment. Another company is already selling a cream
based on curcumin called "Psoria-Gold," which shows
anecdotal promise of treating the disease. Turmeric is
currently used in the formulation of some sun screens.
Turmeric paste is used by Indian women to keep them free
of superfluous hair.
The Government of Thailand is funding a project to
extract and isolate tetrahydrocurcuminoids (THC) from
turmeric. THCs are colorless compounds that might have
antioxidant and skin lightening properties and might be
used to treat skin inflammations, making these compounds
useful in cosmetics formulations.
References:
By
Angela Pirisi, HealthDay Reporter, From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin
Jane Higdon, Ph.D. Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon
State,
Education Information Center, Phytochemicals, Curcumin
Curcumin Inhibits Amyloid Plaques, Tze-Pin Ng, National
University of Singapore, New Science Magazine, 08/04/06,
page 18
Yang F, Lim GP, Begum AN, et al. Curcumin inhibits
formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds
plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem.
2005;280(7):5892-5901.
(PubMed)
The Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Uses of Curcumin
in Health and Disease, by Bharat B. Aggarwl, Young-joon
Surh, and Shishir Shishodia,
Springer Science and Business Media, 2007
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