title: Curcumin, a major component of food spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) inhibits aggregation and alters eicosanoid metabolism in human blood platelets.
abstract: In traditional medicine, Ayurveda, several spices and herbs are held to possess medicinal properties. Earlier we have reported that extracts from several spices, including turmeric, inhibit platelet aggregation and modulate eicosanoid biosynthesis. Due to their eicosanoid-modulating property, it was suggested that the spices may serve to provide clues to drugs directed to arachidonic acid (AA) pathway enzymes as pharmacological targets. Curcumin, a major component of turmeric, inhibited platelet aggregation induced by arachidonate, adrenaline and collagen. This compound inhibited thromboxane B2 (TXB2) production from exogenous [14C] arachidonate in washed platelets with a concomitant increase in the formation of 12-lipoxygenase products. Moreover, curcumin inhibited the incorporation of [14C]AA into platelet phospholipids and inhibited the deacylation of AA-labelled phospholipids (liberation of free AA) on stimulation with calcium ionophore A23187. Curcumin's anti-inflammatory property may, in part, be explained by its effects on eicosanoid biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, Odense University, Denmark.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bordia
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Verma
mesh_terms: D019377:12-Hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic Acid; D001092:Arachidonate 12-Lipoxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology; D030024:Curcuma; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015777:Eicosanoids / Q000097:blood*; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006893:Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
chemical_list: D015777:Eicosanoids; D006893:Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019377:12-Hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic Acid; C012596:turmeric extract; D003094:Collagen; D001092:Arachidonate 12-Lipoxygenase; D003474:Curcumin; D004837:Epinephrine