CHAPTER 7: Curcumin: A Potential Molecule for the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases

Chronic inflammatory diseases are a major health concern nowadays as they cause a large number of deaths and most of the drugs developed for these diseases are not devoid of long-term adverse side effects. In addition, it is now well-established that chronic inflammation triggers the onset and development of many chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, etc. Therefore, there is an urgent need to control inflammation using novel anti-inflammatory agents that are safe, efficacious and affordable. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that many agents derived from Mother Nature have anti-inflammatory properties. One such agent, curcumin, originating from the golden spice, turmeric, has high potential in ameliorating chronic inflammatory diseases with lesser side effects. This compound has shown potential therapeutic effect against allergic rhinitis, asthma, chronic gastritis, chronic kidney disease, chronic prostatitis, gingivitis, inflammatory bowel disease, nephritis, oral lichen planus, oral mucositis, oral submucous fibrosis, osteoarthritis, peptic ulcer, periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, tropical pancreatitis, ulcerative proctitis, uveitis, etc. as evident from many preclinical and clinical studies. The current chapter discusses the anti-inflammatory potential of curcumin against these inflammatory diseases with special focus on clinical trials.