title: Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases.
abstract: Curcumin is a low-molecular-weight hydrophobic polyphenol that is extracted from turmeric, which possesses a wide range of biological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-microbial activities. Despite its diverse targets and substantial safety, clinical applications of this molecule for digestive disorders have been largely limited to case series or small clinical trials. The poor bioavailability of curcumin is likely the major hurdle for its more widespread use in humans. However, complexation of curcumin into phytosomes has recently helped to bypass this problem, as it has been demonstrated that this new lecithin formulation enables increased absorption to a level 29-fold higher than that of traditional curcuminoid products. This allows us to achieve much greater tissue substance delivery using significantly lower doses of curcumin than have been used in past clinical studies. As curcumin has already been shown to provide good therapeutic results in some small studies of both inflammatory and neoplastic bowel disorders, it is reasonable to anticipate an even greater efficacy with the advent of this new technology, which remarkably improves its bioavailability. These features are very promising and may represent a novel and effective therapeutic approach to both functional and organic digestive diseases.
authors.affiliation: Pietro Dulbecco, Vincenzo Savarino, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dulbecco
authors.affiliation: Pietro Dulbecco, Vincenzo Savarino, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Savarino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D001711:Biotransformation; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D030024:Curcuma; D003474:Curcumin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Curcumin; Curcumin bioavailability; Curcumin-phythosome; Digestive disorders