A Review on the Pharmacological Effects of Curcumin in Diabetes, Cancer, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

As a diet-derived agent, curcumin has been used traditionally in many forms for the treatment of inflammation and pain but most of the recent studies uncovered the role of curcumin as an antidiabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-infectious, antidepressant, and antipsychotic agent. This dietary supplement has the ability to block a number of cells signaling pathways at various levels which underlies its diverse effect. By modulating cell cycles and interacting directly with molecular targets like glutathione peroxidase, nuclear factor kappa-B cells, cyclooxygenase-2, hepatic superoxide dismutase, reactive oxygen species tumor necrosis factors, etc. curcumin can prevent the development of cancer. In this chapter, we demonstrated the therapeutic effects of curcumin in various cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, microbial infections, and diabetes interconnected with its molecular pathways during preclinical trials.