Volume 31, Issue 2, February 2015, Pages 276–282
Review
Curcumin: A pleiotropic phytonutrient in diabetic complications
- Received 15 April 2014, Accepted 25 June 2014, Available online 18 July 2014
Highlights
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- Curcumin has shown pharmacologic effects in various diseases including diabetic complications.
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- Curcumin's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties contribute majorly toward its protective effects.
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- If supplemented with existing treatment modalities, curcumin can enhance efficacies and tone down associated side effects.
Abstract
Curcumin is the major polyphenolic constituent of an indigenous herb, Curcuma longa,
found to have a wide range of applications right from its kitchen use
as a spicy ingredient to therapeutic and medicinal applications in
various diseases. Curcumin has been identified to have a plethora of
biologic and pharmacologic properties owing to its antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory activities. This pleiotropic regulation of redox
balance of cell and inflammation might be the basis of curcumin's
beneficial activities in various pathologic conditions including
diabetic complications. This review summarizes various in vitro, in vivo
studies done on curcumin and its therapeutic utility in diabetic
micro-vascular complications. This review also emphasizes the importance
of curcumin in addition to the existing therapeutic modalities in
diabetic complications.
Keywords
- Curcumin;
- Diabetic complications;
- Neuropathy;
- Nephropathy;
- Retinopathy
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 402 307 3741; fax: +1 402 307 3751.
