Curcumin Complex Helps Clear Brain Plaque

11/14/2006

LOS ANGELES— A curcumin complex extracted from turmeric helped the brain clear amyloid-beta plaque that could otherwise lead to development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological problems, according to researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (J Alzheimer’s Dis. 10, 1:1-7, 2006).

Researchers drew blood taken from six Alzheimer’s disease patients and three healthy controls, and isolated the antigen-fighting macrophages. The isolated immune cells were exposed to the turmeric extract (as Curcumin C3 Complex®, from Sabinsa Corp.) in a cell culture for 24 hours, after which time they introduced amyloid-beta to the culture. The treated macrophages showed improved ingestion of amyloid-beta compared to those not treated with curcuminoids. Macrophages from the healthy controls showed no changes with curcuminoids treatment.

“These initial findings may lead to a new approach in treating Alzheimer’s disease by enhancing the natural function of the immune system using curcumin, thus increasing the body’s ability to remove plaques that may cause Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” stated UCLA researcher Milan Fiala, M.D. He explained the method researchers used to test the immune cell response of macrophages may provide a novel way of evaluating the effectiveness of drugs in clearing amyloid beta from the brain and may help to individualize Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

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