Turmeric is an ingredient that is very familiar to Indonesian people. It is well known for its characteristic ability to impart a yellow color when used and can be found in traditional dishes, herbal remedies (jamu), and traditional medicines. One of its main active compounds, which is considered a major source of its various benefits, is a polyphenolic compound known as “curcumin.”
Traditional Uses of Curcumin
The traditional use of turmeric as an herbal medicine has sparked researchers’ interest in further investigating the mechanisms underlying these activities. As a result, we now have a deeper understanding of curcumin, a compound that plays an important role in many of these biological activities.
Chemical Characteristics of Curcumin
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) has the molecular formula C₂₁H₂₀O₆ and is a polyphenolic compound widely found in the plant Curcuma longa. Curcumin is one of the major compounds in curcuminoids, along with demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, which are responsible for the yellow pigmentation of turmeric [3].
Curcumin exhibits different stability and characteristics depending on the pH of its surrounding environment. At pH 3–7, curcumin acts as a proton (H atom) donor, whereas at pH above 8, curcumin changes its behavior and acts as an electron donor [4]. In an environment with a pH above 8, up to 90% of curcumin can degrade within only 30 minutes, producing trans-6-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-2,4-dioxo-5-hexenal as the major degradation product, along with ferulic acid, feruloylmethane, and vanillin as minor degradation products [4,5,6]. Meanwhile, in an acidic environment (pH 1–6), such as the human stomach, this degradation occurs very slowly [4,5]. This degradation can be inhibited by the presence of foetal calf serum, human blood, or the addition of ascorbic acid to the environment containing curcumin [5].
Curcumin is practically insoluble in water but can dissolve in methanol, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetone [5,7]. The poor water solubility of curcumin also results in low bioavailability when it is administered orally. Therefore, to utilize curcumin in oral formulations, adjustments during the formulation stage are necessary to address these limitations [8].
Pharmacological Activities and Potential of Curcumin in Healthcare
Curcumin has a wide range of potential benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive, and chemotherapeutic activities. These broad activities are attributed to the ability of curcumin to modulate multiple signaling pathways [1].
A. Antioxidant
Curcumin is considered an antioxidant due to the presence of a β-diketone group in its structure. One of the main antioxidant activities of curcumin is the inhibition of superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide radicals. Some studies have also reported that curcumin can enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) [9].
The antioxidant role of curcumin serves as a basis for several of its other potential benefits, such as hepatoprotective activity, due to its ability to upregulate HO-1 and inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the liver [9]
B. Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammatory processes play a major role in the development of various chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. Curcumin can reduce inflammatory activity through its interactions with various inflammatory processes [9]. Curcumin can bind to Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and downregulate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), activator protein 1 (AP-1), and NF-κB signaling pathways, which play important roles in inflammatory processes [10]. Curcumin can also inhibit inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukins (ILs), as well as inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) [9].
The anti-inflammatory role of curcumin can, among other applications, be relevant to respiratory conditions, as conditions such as fibrosis, bronchitis, allergies, and asthma are associated with inflammatory processes. Curcumin may reduce the accumulation of inflammatory cells, excessive cytokine production, and enhance the activity of ROS scavengers [9].
C. Wound Healing
Recently, curcumin has been found to have potential applications in wound healing. This potential activity is associated with the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin, which enables it to suppress the inflammatory response in wounds. Inflammation is one of the stages involved in the wound-healing and skin-regeneration processes. By modulating the inflammatory process, curcumin may help accelerate wound healing [7].
Conclusion
The role of curcumin in healthcare still requires further investigation and verification. In addition, its low bioavailability remains a challenge in the development of curcumin-based formulations. These two aspects represent important opportunities for future research and development of curcumin.
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Reference:
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[2] Pujimulyani, D., Suryani, C. L., Kanetro, B., Purwandari, U., Nurhayati, N., Windrayahya, S., Windrayani, E., & Setiarto, R. H. B. (2026). The Potential of Jamu Traditional Herbal Drink from Indonesia as Anti-Inflammatory: A Review. Letters in Applied NanoBioScience, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.33263/lianbs153.089
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[6] Wang, Y., Pan, M., Cheng, A., Lin, L., Ho, Y., Hsieh, C., & Lin, J. (1997). Stability of curcumin in buffer solutions and characterization of its degradation products. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 15(12), 1867–1876. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0731-7085(96)02024-9
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Editorial Team:
- Rafi Rif'atul Rizki, S.I.Kom.