Utility of curcumin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus: Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies

Abstract

Turmeric or Curcuma longa is a natural product, whose medicinal properties have been extensively studied and a wide variety of therapeutic effects on several diseases such as neurodegenerative, hepatic and renal damage, cancer, and diabetes have been mainly attributed to its curcuminoid content. In the last decades, diabetes mellitus has become an alarming worldwide health issue, because of the increasing number of people suffering from the disease, as well as the devastating consequences for them. In this paper, we review the current basic and clinical evidence about the potential of curcumin/curcuminoids for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, mainly by its hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The activity of curcumin (or curcuminoids) as a hypoglycemic agent or just as an adjuvant to improve the metabolic profile and to ameliorate the associated complications of diabetes mellitus, such as diabetic nephropathy and cardiopathy is discussed. The interactions between curcumin and conventional antidiabetic drugs might be explored for the therapeutic management of diabetes mellitus.