Curcuma longa (turmeric). Monograph

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Maurice Preter MD

Curcuma longa (turmeric). Monograph. Altern Med Rev. 2001;6 Suppl:S62-S66.

Abstract

Curcuma longa, a perennial herb, is a member of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family. The plant grows to a height of three to five feet, and is cultivated extensively in Asia, India, China, and other countries with a tropical climate. It has oblong, pointed leaves and bears funnel-shaped yellow flowers. The rhizome is the portion of the plant used medicinally; it is usually boiled, cleaned, and dried, yielding a yellow powder. Dried Curcuma longa is the source of the spice turmeric, the ingredient that gives curry powder its characteristic yellow color. Turmeric is used extensively in foods for both its flavor and color. Turmeric has a long tradition of use in the Chinese and Ayurvedic systems of medicine, particularly as an anti-inflammatory agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, hematuria, hemorrhage, and colic. Turmeric can also be applied topically in poultices to relieve pain and inflammation. Current research has focused on turmeric’s antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial properties, in addition to its use in cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disorders.

 

 

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Curcumin, an active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), and its effects on health

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Maurice Preter MD

Curcumin, an active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), and its effects on health

Betül Kocaadam 1, Nevin Şanlier 1
Affiliations

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a type of herb belonging to ginger family, which is widely grown in southern and south western tropical Asia region. Turmeric, which has an importance place in the cuisines of Iran, Malesia, India, China, Polynesia, and Thailand, is often used as spice and has an effect on the nature, color, and taste of foods. Turmeric is also known to have been used for centuries in India and China for the medical treatments of illnesses such as dermatologic diseases, infection, stress, and depression. Turmeric’s effects on health are generally centered upon an orange-yellow colored, lipophilic polyphenol substance called “curcumin,” which is acquired from the rhizomes of the herb. Curcumin is known recently to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer effects and, thanks to these effects, to have an important role in prevention and treatment of various illnesses ranging notably from cancer to autoimmune, neurological, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetic. Furthermore, it is aimed to increase the biological activity and physiological effects of the curcumin on the body by synthesizing curcumin analogues. This article reviews the history, chemical and physical features, analogues, metabolites, mechanisms of its physiological activities, and effects on health of curcumin.

Keywords: Turmeric; curcumin; health; safety.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26528921/

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Examining the potential clinical value of curcumin in the prevention and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Maurice Preter MD

Goozee KG, Shah TM, Sohrabi HR, et al. Examining the potential clinical value of curcumin in the prevention and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Br J Nutr. 2016;115(3):449-465. doi:10.1017/S0007114515004687

Examining the potential clinical value of curcumin in the prevention and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

K G Goozee 1, T M Shah 2, H R Sohrabi 2, S R Rainey-Smith 2, B Brown 2, G Verdile 2, R N Martins 1
Affiliations

Free article

Abstract

Curcumin derived from turmeric is well documented for its anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies show that curcumin also possesses neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing properties that may help delay or prevent neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Currently, clinical diagnosis of AD is onerous, and it is primarily based on the exclusion of other causes of dementia. In addition, phase III clinical trials of potential treatments have mostly failed, leaving disease-modifying interventions elusive. AD can be characterised neuropathologically by the deposition of extracellular β amyloid (Aβ) plaques and intracellular accumulation of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. Disruptions in Aβ metabolism/clearance contribute to AD pathogenesis. In vitro studies have shown that Aβ metabolism is altered by curcumin, and animal studies report that curcumin may influence brain function and the development of dementia, because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its ability to influence Aβ metabolism. However, clinical studies of curcumin have revealed limited effects to date, most likely because of curcumin’s relatively low solubility and bioavailability, and because of selection of cohorts with diagnosed AD, in whom there is already major neuropathology. However, the fresh approach of targeting early AD pathology (by treating healthy, pre-clinical and mild cognitive impairment-stage cohorts) combined with new curcumin formulations that increase bioavailability is renewing optimism concerning curcumin-based therapy. The aim of this paper is to review the current evidence supporting an association between curcumin and modulation of AD pathology, including in vitro and in vivo studies. We also review the use of curcumin in emerging retinal imaging technology, as a fluorochrome for AD diagnostics.

Keywords: AD Alzheimer’s disease; APP amyloid precursor protein; Alzheimer’s disease; Amyloid; Aβ β amyloid; BACE1 β-APP-cleaving enzyme-1; BBB blood–brain barrier; BDNF brain-derived neurotropic factor; Curcumin; NFT neurofibrillary tangles; PSD-95 post-synaptic density 95; Retinal imaging.

 

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Rhodiola rosea L. and Alzheimer’s Disease: From Farm to Pharmacy

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Maurice Preter MD

Nabavi SF, Braidy N, Orhan IE, Badiee A, Daglia M, Nabavi SM. Rhodiola rosea L. and Alzheimer’s Disease: From Farm to Pharmacy. Phytother Res. 2016;30(4):532-539. doi:10.1002/ptr.5569 . 2016 Apr;30(4):532-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5569. Epub 2016 Jan 11

Rhodiola rosea L. and Alzheimer’s Disease: From Farm to Pharmacy

Seyed Fazel Nabavi 1, Nady Braidy 2, Ilkay Erdogan Orhan 3, Arash Badiee 4, Maria Daglia 5, Seyed Mohammad Nabavi 1
Affiliations

Abstract

Rhodiola rosea L. (roseroot) is a common member of the family Crassulaceae, known as one of the most important popular medicinal plants in the northern region of Europe. The roots of R. rosea possess a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects that are because of the presence of different phytochemicals such as phenols and flavonoids. In addition, the presence of salidroside, rosavins, and p-tyrosol are responsible for its beneficial effects for the treatment of on depression, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. A plethora of studies report that R. rosea has potent neuroprotective effects through the suppression of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and excitotoxicity in brain tissues and antagonism of oncogenic p21-activated kinase. However, to our knowledge, no review articles have been published addressing the neuroprotective effects of R. rosea. Therefore, the present article aims at critically reviewing the available literature on the beneficial effects of R. rosea on as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases where oxidative stress plays a major role in disease development and progression. We also discuss the cultivation, phytochemistry, clinical impacts, and adverse effects of R. rosea to provide a broader insight on the therapeutic potential for this plant.

Keywords: Neurodegeneration; Neuroinflammation; Neurotoxicity; Oxidative stress; Rhodiola rosea.

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BCG vaccine protection from severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Maurice Preter MD

Of possible interest. Complicated story.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/early/2020/07/07/2008410117.full.pdf

Luis E. Escobara,1, Alvaro Molina-Cruzb, and Carolina Barillas-Muryb,1
aDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24601; and bLaboratory of Malaria and

Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 Contributed by Carolina Barillas-Mury, June 9, 2020 (sent for review May 1, 2020; reviewed by Serap Aksoy and Rita R. Colwell)

A series of epidemiological explorations has suggested a negative association between national bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vac- cination policy and the prevalence and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, these comparisons are difficult to validate due to broad differences between countries such as socioeconomic status, demographic structure, rural vs. urban set- tings, time of arrival of the pandemic, number of diagnostic tests and criteria for testing, and national control strategies to limit the spread of COVID-19. We review evidence for a potential biological basis of BCG cross-protection from severe COVID-19, and refine the epidemiological analysis to mitigate effects of potentially con- founding factors (e.g., stage of the COVID-19 epidemic, develop- ment, rurality, population density, and age structure). A strong correlation between the BCG index, an estimation of the degree of universal BCG vaccination deployment in a country, and COVID- 19 mortality in different socially similar European countries was observed (r2 = 0.88; P = 8 × 10−7), indicating that every 10% in- crease in the BCG index was associated with a 10.4% reduction in COVID-19 mortality. Results fail to confirm the null hypothesis of no association between BCG vaccination and COVID-19 mortality, and suggest that BCG could have a protective effect. Nevertheless, the analyses are restricted to coarse-scale signals and should be considered with caution. BCG vaccination clinical trials are required to corroborate the patterns detected here, and to establish causal- ity between BCG vaccination and protection from severe COVID- 19. Public health implications of a plausible BCG cross-protection from severe COVID-19 are discussed.

BCG vaccination policy | COVID-19 coronavirus | cross-protection | mortality | pandemic

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