Curcumin for malaria therapy

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.11.051

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

Volume 326, Issue 2, 14 January 2005, Pages 472-474

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.11.051 Get rights and content

Abstract

Malaria remains a major global health concern. New, inexpensive, and effective antimalarial agents are urgently needed. Here we show that curcumin, a polyphenolic organic molecule derived from turmeric, inhibits chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum growth in culture in a dose dependent manner with an IC₅₀ of ∼5 μM. Additionally, oral administration of curcumin to mice infected with malaria parasite (Plasmodium berghei) reduces blood parasitemia by 80–90% and enhances their survival significantly. Thus, curcumin may represent a novel treatment for malarial infection.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Reagents. Curcumin (Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, MO) was dissolved in 100% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; Sigma Chemical) and stored in aliquots at −20 °C.

Parasite maintenance. Plasmodium falciparum culture was maintained by the candle jar method [6] using human O positive serum and red blood cells. P. berghei was maintained in Swiss mice obtained from the Central Animal facility, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Blood obtained from mice with 60–70% parasitemia was diluted in PBS and 0.1

Results

Using [³H]hypoxanthine uptake to assess viability, we determined the effects of curcumin on a chloroquine-resistant strain of P. falciparum carrying the PfCRT-K76T mutation, a molecular marker for chloroquine-resistance [7]. Curcumin inhibited the growth of P. falciparum in a dose-dependent fashion, with an IC₅₀ of ∼5 μM. Increasing doses of curcumin resulted in decreased viability of P. falciparum, with a dose of 50 μM leading to negligible proliferation (Fig. 1). When tested in a

Discussion

Curcumin, a component of the widely used Ayurvedic compound turmeric, is a potent biological compound. Numerous studies have characterized its effects on a wide variety of cellular processes and diseases. Few studies, however, have extended in vitro antimicrobial observations to in vivo models. Only one study to our knowledge has previously examined the effects of curcumin on P. falciparum[3]. In contrast to our study, Rasmussen et al. examined only drug sensitive P. falciparum and did not test

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by research grants from Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India, to P.N.R., G.P. and NIH Grant HL-070068 to R.C.R.

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

Abstract

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

Acknowledgments

References (11)

Global fund changes tack on malaria therapy

Nature

Biological activities of Curcuma longa L.

Mem Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

A simple and efficient separation of the curcumins, the antiprotozoal constituents of Curcuma longa

Planta Med.

Leishmanicidal effect of curcumin in vitro

Biol. Pharm. Bull.

Trypanocidal effects of curcumin in vitro

Biol. Pharm. Bull.

Cited by (322)

Bacterial cellulose-turmeric powder composites as potential therapeutic wound dressings

Solvent-free synthesis of recyclable hydrophobic carbon dots for highly selective detecting curcumin in food samples

Targeted therapies of curcumin focus on its therapeutic benefits in cancers and human health: Molecular signaling pathway-based approaches and future perspectives

Exploiting Modeling Studies for Evaluating the Potential Antiviral Activities of some Clinically Approved Drugs and Herbal Materials against SARS-CoV-2: Theoretical Studies toward Hindering the Virus and Blocking the Human Cellular Receptor

Curcumin or quercetin loaded nutriosomes as oral adjuvants for malaria infections

Curcumin and its derivatives as nutraceuticals: an update