Curcumin Can Activate the Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway and Scavenge Free Radicals in Spinal Cord Injury Treatment.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that often leads to permanent neurological deficits. Evidence from emerging studies has implicated oxygen-derived free radicals and high-energy oxidants as mediators of secondary SCI. Therefore, targeting these mediators using antioxidants could be beneficial for the disease. Several signaling pathways, such as the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 (Nrf2/HO-1), have been associated with the regulation of some pathophysiological features of SCI. Curcumin is a plant medicinal agent whose diverse pharmacological properties have been extensively investigated and reported, notably its ability to curtail inflammatory damage by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells. In this review, we analyze the role of curcumin in activating Nrf2/HO-1 and scavenging free radicals to repair SCI. With its minimal side effects, curcumin could be a potential therapy for SCI treatment.

Curcumin Can Improve Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting TGF-ß-SOX9 Signaling Pathway.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe nervous system disease with high morbidity and disability rate. Signaling pathways play a key role in the neuronal restorative mechanism following SCI. SRY-related high mobility group (HMG)-box gene 9 (SOX9) affects glial scar formation via Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) signaling pathway. Activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is transferred into nucleus to upregulate TGF-ß-SOX9. Curcumin exhibits potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Curcumin can play an important role in SCI recovery by inhibiting the expression of NF-κB and TGF-ß-SOX9. Herein, we review the potential mechanism of curcumin-inhibiting SOX9 signaling pathway in SCI treatment. The inhibition of NF-κB and SOX9 signaling pathway by curcumin has the potentiality of serving as neuronal regenerative mechanism following SCI.

Nutrition: Review on the Possible Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease.

Since its discovery some hundred years ago, Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease and an eminent cause of most dementia, continues to pose problems for affected families and society, especially in developed countries. With the approved medications by the Food and Drugs Administration in the United States, effectual treatment of AD apropos to the complete eradication of the disease continues to be elusive due to complexities relating to the pathophysiology of the disease. Nutrition has and continues to play a salient role in the survival of living organisms with no exception for human beings. Herein, we report the connection between nutrition and AD with particular attention to vitamins, curcumin, and the Mediterranean diet.

Therapeutic Effect of Curcumin and Methylprednisolone in the Rat Spinal Cord Injury.

In addition to imperiling an individual's daily life, spinal cord injury (SCI), a catastrophic medical damage, can permanently impair an individual's body function. Methylprednisolone (MP), a medically accepted therapeutic drug for SCI, is highly controversial for the lack of consensus on its true therapeutic effect. In recent years, curcumin has served as a potential and novel therapeutic drug in SCI. Our study was intended to investigate the precise effect of MP and curcumin in SCI. We examined the function of MP and curcumin in a SCI model rat, both in vivo and in vitro, and found that there was a momentous improvement in Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scores in the MP-treated group when compared with Cur-treated group within 14 days. Results obtained from the histological, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural examinations evidenced the curative effect of MP was better than curcumin before Day 14. Nonetheless, there was a significant variation in the treatment effect between the MP-treated and Cur-treated groups after 14 days. The curcumin's effectiveness was more obvious than MP after 14 days following SCI. As such, we surmise that curcumin has a better therapeutic potential than MP with a prolong treatment time in the wake of SCI. Anat Rec, 301:686-696, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.