The role of tetrahydrocurcumin in disease prevention and treatment

Abstract

In recent decades, natural compounds derived from herbal medicine or dietary sources have played important roles in prevention and treatment of various diseases and have attracted more and more attention. Curcumin, extracted from the Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and widely used as food spice and coloring agent, has been proven to possess high pharmacological value. However, the pharmacological application of curcumin is limited due to its poor systemic bioavailability. As a major active metabolite of curcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) has higher bioavailability and stability than curcumin. Increasing evidence confirmed that THC had a wide range of biological activities and significant treatment effects on diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress on the biological activities and therapeutic potential of THC on different diseases such as neurological disorders, metabolic syndromes, cancers, and inflammatory diseases. The extensive pharmacological effects of THC involve the modulation of various signaling transduction pathways including MAPK, JAK/STAT, NF-κB, Nrf2, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, AMPK, Wnt/β-catenin. In addition, the pharmacokinetics, drug combination and toxicology of THC were discussed, thus providing scientific basis for the safe application of THC and the development of its dietary supplements and drugs.

Graphical abstract: The role of tetrahydrocurcumin in disease prevention and treatment

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
27 Dec 2023
Accepted
27 May 2024
First published
04 Jun 2024

Food Funct., 2024, Advance Article

The role of tetrahydrocurcumin in disease prevention and treatment

M. Zhou, R. Li, H. Hua, Y. Dai, Z. Yin, L. Li, J. Zeng, M. Yang, J. Zhao and R. Tan, Food Funct., 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D3FO05739A

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