Determining whether curcumin degradation/condensation is actually bioactivation (Review)

Curcumin has been shown to exert therapeutic or protective effects against a variety of diseases, such as cancer, pulmonary diseases, neurological, liver, metabolic, autoimmune, cardiovascular diseases and numerous other chronic ailments. Over 116 clinical studies on curcumin in humans were registered with the US National Institutes of Health in 2015. However, it is mystifying how curcumin can be so effective in the treatment of many diseases since it has very low water solubility and bioavailability. Furthermore, curcumin is not stable under various conditions; its degradation or condensation into different bioactive compounds may be responsible for its biological activities rather than curcumin itself. In this review, we provide evidence of curcumin degradation and condensation into different compounds which have or may have health benefits themselves. Literature reviews strongly suggest that these molecules contribute to the observed health benefits, rather than curcumin itself.