Curcumin: the Yellow Molecule with Pleiotropic Biological Effects

Natural products are recent emerging effective agents against many chronic human diseases. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), the active constituent of turmeric (Curcuma longa), has gained much interest as a plant-based compound with pleiotropic biological activities. Curcumin has been shown to possess significant anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects. Although the history of curcumin goes back thousands of years, the mechanism involved behind medicinal role of curcumin remains a topic of debate. In addition to this, its stability, solubility and bioavailability issues create reasons for further researches on this yellow molecule. Present article provides an overview of the history, chemistry, biological effects, and an update of mechanism(s) of action of curcumin.