Curcumin is a natural compound with great potential for disease treatment. A large number of studies have proved that curcumin has a variety of biological activities, among which anti-inflammatory effect is a significant feature of it. Inflammation is a complex and pervasive physiological and pathological process. The physiological and pathological mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, COVID-19 and other research focus diseases are not clear yet, and they are considered to be related to inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin can effectively improve the symptoms of these diseases and is expected to be a candidate drug for the treatment of related diseases. This paper mainly reviews the anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin, the inflammatory pathological mechanism of related diseases, the regulatory effect of curcumin on these, and the latest research results on the improvement of curcumin pharmacokinetics. It is beneficial to the further study of curcumin and provides new ideas and insights for the development of curcumin anti-inflammatory preparations.

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Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin in the Inflammatory Diseases: Status, Limitations and Countermeasures.

Despite the ongoing vaccination efforts, there is still an urgent need for safe and effective treatments to help curb the debilitating effects of COVID-19 disease. This systematic review aimed to investigate the efficacy of supplemental curcumin treatment on clinical outcomes and inflammation-related biomarker profiles in COVID-19 patients. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Ovid databases up to 30 June 2021 to find studies that assessed the effects of curcumin-related compounds in mild to severe COVID-19 patients. Six studies were identified which showed that curcumin supplementation led to a significant decrease in common symptoms, duration of hospitalization and deaths. In addition, all of these studies showed that the intervention led to amelioration of cytokine storm effects thought to be a driving force in severe COVID-19 cases. This was seen as a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in proinflammatory cytokines such as IL1β and IL6, with a concomitant significant (p < 0.05) increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-10, IL-35 and TGF-α. Taken together, these findings suggested that curcumin exerts its beneficial effects through at least partial restoration of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance. In conclusion, curcumin supplementation may offer an efficacious and safe option for improving COVID-19 disease outcomes. We highlight the point that future clinical studies of COVID-19 disease should employ larger cohorts of patients in different clinical settings with standardized preparations of curcumin-related compounds.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/2/256/pdf?version=1641559153

Effectiveness of Curcumin on Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials

Curcumin (1,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione) is a natural lipophilic polyphenol that exhibits significant pharmacological effects in vitro and in vivo through various mechanisms of action. Numerous studies have identified and characterised the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and clinical properties of curcumin. Curcumin has an anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antinociceptive, antiparasitic, antimalarial effect, and it is used as a wound-healing agent. However, poor curcumin absorption in the small intestine, fast metabolism, and fast systemic elimination cause poor bioavailability of curcumin in human beings. In order to overcome these problems, a number of curcumin formulations have been developed. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research in biological and pharmaceutical aspects of curcumin, methods of sample preparation for its isolation (Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound extraction, pressurised fluid extraction, microwave extraction, enzyme-assisted aided extraction), analytical methods (FTIR, NIR, FT-Raman, UV-VIS, NMR, XRD, DSC, TLC, HPLC, HPTLC, LC-MS, UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) for identification and quantification of curcumin in different matrices, and different techniques for developing formulations. The optimal sample preparation and use of an appropriate analytical method will significantly improve the evaluation of formulations and the biological activity of curcumin.

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Curcumin: Biological Activities and Modern Pharmaceutical Forms

Pharmacological properties and underlying mechanisms of curcumin and prospects in medicinal potential.

Curcuma longa is very well-known medicinal plant not only in the Asian hemisphere but also known across the globe for its therapeutic and medicinal benefits. The active moiety of Curcuma longa is curcumin and has gained importance in various treatments of various disorders such as antibacterial, antiprotozoal, cancer, obesity, diabetics and wound healing applications. Several techniques had been exploited as reported by researchers for increasing the therapeutic potential and its pharmacological activity. Here, the dictum is the new room for the development of physicochemical, as well as biological, studies for the efficacy in target specificity. Here, we discussed nanoformulation techniques, which lend support to upgrade the characters to the curcumin such as enhancing bioavailability, increasing solubility, modifying metabolisms, and target specificity, prolonged circulation, enhanced permeation. Our manuscript tried to seek the attention of the researcher by framing some solutions of some existing troubleshoots of this bioactive component for enhanced applications and making the formulations feasible at an industrial production scale. This manuscript focuses on recent inventions as well, which can further be implemented at the community level.

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Curcumin Nanoparticles as Promising Therapeutic Agents for Drug Targets

Curcumin is proposed as a potential treatment option for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) by inhibiting the virus entrance, encapsulation and replication, and modulating various cellular signaling pathways. In this open-label nonrandomized clinical trial, efficacy of nano-curcumin oral formulation has been evaluated in hospitalized patients with mild-moderate COVID-19. Forty-one patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were allocated to nano-curcumin (n = 21) group (Sinacurcumin soft gel, contains 40 mg curcuminoids as nanomicelles, two capsules twice a day) or control (n = 20) group, for 2 weeks. Patients' symptoms and laboratory data were assessed at baseline and during follow-up period. Most of symptoms including fever and chills, tachypnea, myalgia, and cough resolved significantly faster in curcumin group. Moreover, SaO2 was significantly higher in treatment group after 2, 4, 7, and 14 days of follow-up and lymphocyte count after 7 and 14 days. Duration of supplemental O2 use and hospitalization was also meaningfully shorter in treatment group. It is also noteworthy to mention that no patient in treatment group experienced deterioration of infection during follow-up period, but it occurred in 40% of control group. Oral curcumin nano-formulation can significantly improve recovery time in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Further randomized placebo controlled trials with larger sample size are recommended.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ptr.7004

Oral nano-curcumin formulation efficacy in management of mild to moderate hospitalized coronavirus disease-19 patients: An open label nonrandomized clinical trial.

Background: Hospitalized corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are special population in term of drug-drug interaction (DDI), as they receive various experimental novel medications and also most of them are elderly with various comorbidities and consequently numerous medications. The aim of present study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of potential DDIs in hospitalized COVID-19 patients admitted to the medical ward of a Referral Hospital in North-East of Iran. 
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among COVID-19 inpatients between March 2020 and April 2020. Prescribed medication being taken concurrently for at least 24 h were included and checked for DDI using Lexicomp® online drug reference. Data were analyzed using SPSS19. 
Results: A total of 88 patients were evaluated. The cardiovascular disease was the most common comorbidity (30.68%). The median number of medications prescribed for each patient was 5. Hydroxychloroquine was the most common prescribed medication for COVID-19 management (92.05%). About two-third (62.5 %) of patients were exposed to at least one potential C (84.09 %) or D (52.27%) DDI and no X DDIs were found. Patients with at least five prescribed medications were at higher risk of having DDI (P = 0.001). 
Conclusion: Drug–drug interaction in COVID-19 inpatients was common. Considering these DDIs, clinical pharmacist involvement can be helpful in minimizing the risk of these potentially harmful drug combinations.

Potential Drug–Drug Interactions among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Medical Wards of a Referral Hospital, North-East of Iran: A Cross Sectional Study

Niloofar Saber-Moghaddam

Papers

Oral nano-curcumin formulation efficacy in management of mild to moderate hospitalized coronavirus disease-19 patients: An open label nonrandomized clinical trial.

Potential Drug–Drug Interactions among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Medical Wards of a Referral Hospital, North-East of Iran: A Cross Sectional Study