ABSTRACT
Curcuma species are traditionally used for the treatment of several ailments. They mainly contain essential oils, a mixture of compounds known as curcuminoids and turmerin, a water-soluble antioxidant peptide. Curcuminoids are a class of polyphenolic compounds poorly soluble in water, including curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin and cyclocurcumin, which are responsible for the yellow color of Curcuma rhizome. This chapter presents general aspects on curcumin research, as well as a selection of studies where this polyphenol and its natural or synthetic analogues have been investigated in relation to neglected infectious diseases. Curcumin has been reported as the most active antiprotozoal agent of turmeric. In Traditional Indian Medicine (i.e., Ayurveda), curcumin is largely known to have a wide spectrum of biological actions including immunomodulation and regulation of host defence mechanisms. Curcumin has also shown to reduce the infectivity of enveloped viruses, whereas no effects were observed in non-enveloped viruses.
