Curcumin and Its Derivatives: A Review of Their Biological Activities
Mahmood Khudhayer Oglah, Yasser Fakri Mustafa, Moath Kahtan Bashir, Mahmood H. M. Jasim
Abstract
Curcumin is a bright yellow phytochemical derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa. Since its initial extraction from this plant, curcumin is attaining great attention from the researchers of the medical field. Curcumin possesses a wide range of biological effects such as antimicrobial, antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and neuroprotective activities. Such versatility makes curcumin a promising lead compound for the development of new derivatives that may have a role in the management of numerous illnesses like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers disease. In this paper, the focus was concentrated on some of the currently available animal and clinical studies which revealed the potential pharmacological actions of curcumin and its derivatives.