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Review
. 2022 Jan 6;27(2):341.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27020341.

Inflammaging and Brain: Curcumin and Its Beneficial Potential as Regulator of Microglia Activation

Antonia Cianciulli  1 , Rosa Calvello  1 , Melania Ruggiero  1 , Maria Antonietta Panaro  1
Affiliations
Review

Inflammaging and Brain: Curcumin and Its Beneficial Potential as Regulator of Microglia Activation

Antonia Cianciulli et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Inflammaging is a term used to describe the tight relationship between low-grade chronic inflammation and aging that occurs during physiological aging in the absence of evident infection. This condition has been linked to a broad spectrum of age-related disorders in various organs including the brain. Inflammaging represents a highly significant risk factor for the development and progression of age-related conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases which are characterized by the progressive dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Curcumin is a widely studied polyphenol isolated from Curcuma longa with a variety of pharmacologic properties. It is well-known for its healing properties and has been extensively used in Asian medicine to treat a variety of illness conditions. The number of studies that suggest beneficial effects of curcumin on brain pathologies and age-related diseases is increasing. Curcumin is able to inhibit the formation of reactive-oxygen species and other pro-inflammatory mediators that are believed to play a pivotal role in many age-related diseases. Curcumin has been recently proposed as a potential useful remedy against neurodegenerative disorders and brain ageing. In light of this, our current review aims to discuss the potential positive effects of Curcumin on the possibility to control inflammaging emphasizing the possible modulation of inflammaging processes in neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: brain; curcumin; inflammaging; microglia; neurodegeneration; neuroinflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Aging brain and pathological changes which can be associated with chronic inflammation linked with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transition of microglia activity from neuroprotective to neurodegenerative in brain aging.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Encapsulated curcumin effects on microglia after crossing the blood–brain barrier.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structure of curcumin and protective effects of curcumin. Abbreviations: Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2); 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX); Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB); Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3); Peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ); Histone acetyltransferases (HAT).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Therapeutic properties of curcumin in several aging disorders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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