SHANGHAI—Curcumin, an active compound in the spice turmeric, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory activity, and may also have other beneficial properties in cognitive health. In fact, curcumin has a range of positive effects in models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the research team at the Alzheimer’s Research Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). They report curcumin reduces oxidative damage and inflammation, reduces the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Abeta) and synaptic marker loss, and promotes the clearance of Abeta, helping prevent cognitive defects associated with Abeta toxicity.
In a new trial from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, researchers noted astrocytes play a key role in Alzheimer’s-related neuroinflammation; they sought to determine whether curcumin could suppress the inflammatory response induced by activated astrocytes and impede Alzheimer’s progression (J Alzheimer Dis. 2010;20(4):1189-99). In vitro, the team found astrocytes treated with Abeta25-35 had enhanced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and glial fibrillary acidic protein and decreased activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma); further, NFkB translocation was also increased in the presence of Abeta. However, pre-treatment of the cells with curcumin reversed all those effects. In addition, GW9662, a PPAR-gamma antagonist was found to abolish the anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin, suggesting curcumin may be a PPAR-gamma agonist working to inhibit inflammation in astrocytes.
