Paper
Beneficial Effects of Curcumin on Neurological Disorders
Published May 26, 2012 · A. A. Farooqui
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Abstract
Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol, is the yellow pigment in the Indian spice turmeric (curry powder). It is derived from the rhizome of the herb Curcuma longa (Anand et al. 2008), which belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. Curcumin is a biphenolic compound with hydroxyl groups at the ortho-position on the two aromatic rings that are connected by a β-diketone bridge, containing two double bonds (dienone), which can undergo Michael addition, critical for some of the effects of curcumin (Weber et al. 2006), but contributing to chemical instability in aqueous solution (Pan et al. 1999). Curcumin is also known as diferuloylmethane (bis-α,β-unsaturated β-diketone) that exhibits keto-enol tautomerism, having a predominant keto form in acidic and neutral solutions and a stable enol form in alkaline media. Curcumin resembles ubiquinols in its structure. It is insoluble in water, but is readily soluble in organic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide, acetone, and ethanol. It is stable at acidic pH but unstable at neutral and basic pH, under which conditions it is degraded to ferulic acid and feruloylmethane (Wang et al. 1997). Most curcumin (>90 %) is rapidly degraded within 30 min of placement in phosphate buffer systems of pH 7.2 (Wang et al. 1997).
Curcumin, found in turmeric, shows potential benefits for neurological disorders due to its unique chemical properties and ability to interact with various biological systems.
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