Curcumin inhibits bovine herpesvirus type 1 entry into MDBK cells

Antiviral activity of Taurisolo® during bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 infection

Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoAHV-1), the pathogen causing Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and predisposing to polymicrobial infections in cattle, provokes farm economic losses and trading restrictions in the world. However, nontoxic antiviral agents for BoAHV-1 infection are still unavailable, but plant extracts, such as flavonoid derivatives possess activity against BoAHV-1. Taurisolo®, a nutraceutical produced by Aglianico grape pomace, has recently shown promising antiviral activity. Herein, the potential activity of Taurisolo® during BoAHV-1 infection in Madin Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells was tested. Taurisolo® enhanced cell viability and reduced morphological death signs in BoAHV-1-infected cells. Moreover, Taurisolo® influenced the expression of bICP0, the key regulatory protein of BoAHV-1, and it strongly diminished virus yield. These effects were associated with an up-regulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor involved in microbial metabolism and immune response. In conclusion, our findings indicate that Taurisolo® may represent a potential antiviral agent against BoAHV-1 infection. Noteworthy, AhR could be involved in the observed effects and become a new target in antiviral therapy.

Curcumin and curcumin nanoparticles counteract the biological and managemental stressors in poultry production: An updated review

Antibiotics have the potential to have both direct and indirect detrimental impacts on animal and human health. For instance, antibiotic residues and pathogenic resistance against the drug are very common in poultry because of antibiotics used in their feed. It is necessary to use natural feed additives as effective alternatives instead of synthetic antibiotics. Curcumin, a polyphenol compound one of the natural compounds from the rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma spp.) and has been suggested to have several therapeutic benefits in the treatment of human diseases. Curcumin exhibited some positive responses such as growth promoter, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anticoccidial, anti-stress, and immune modulator activities. Curcumin played a pivotal role in regulating the structure of the intestinal microbiome for health promotion and the treatment of intestinal dysbiosis. It is suggested that curcumin alone or a combination with other feed additives could be a dietary strategy to improve poultry health and productivity.

Progress of Research into Novel Drugs and Potential Drug Targets against Porcine Pseudorabies Virus

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the causative agent of pseudorabies (PR), infecting most mammals and some birds. It has been prevalent around the world and caused huge economic losses to the swine industry since its discovery. At present, the prevention of PRV is mainly through vaccination; there are few specific antivirals against PRV, but it is possible to treat PRV infection effectively with drugs. In recent years, some drugs have been reported to treat PR; however, the variety of anti-pseudorabies drugs is limited, and the underlying mechanism of the antiviral effect of some drugs is unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new drug targets for PRV and develop economic and efficient drug resources for prevention and control of PRV. This review will focus on the research progress in drugs and drug targets against PRV in recent years, and discuss the future research prospects of anti-PRV drugs.

Antimicrobial Potential of Curcumin: Therapeutic Potential and Challenges to Clinical Applications

Curcumin is a bioactive compound that is extracted from Curcuma longa and that is known for its antimicrobial properties. Curcuminoids are the main constituents of curcumin that exhibit antioxidant properties. It has a broad spectrum of antibacterial actions against a wide range of bacteria, even those resistant to antibiotics. Curcumin has been shown to be effective against the microorganisms that are responsible for surgical infections and implant-related bone infections, primarily Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The efficacy of curcumin against Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, alone or in combination with other classic antibiotics, is one of its most promising antibacterial effects. Curcumin is known to have antifungal action against numerous fungi that are responsible for a variety of infections, including dermatophytosis. Candidemia and candidiasis caused by Candida species have also been reported to be treated using curcumin. Life-threatening diseases and infections caused by viruses can be counteracted by curcumin, recognizing its antiviral potential. In combination therapy with other phytochemicals, curcumin shows synergistic effects, and this approach appears to be suitable for the eradication of antibiotic-resistant microbes and promising for achieving co-loaded antimicrobial pro-regenerative coatings for orthopedic implant biomaterials. Poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and rapid degradation are the main disadvantages of curcumin. The use of nanotechnologies for the delivery of curcumin could increase the prospects for its clinical application, mainly in orthopedics and other surgical scenarios. Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles revealed antimicrobial properties against S. aureus in periprosthetic joint infections.

Antiviral Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin: An Update

The treatment of viral disease has become a medical challenge because of the increasing incidence and prevalence of human viral pathogens, as well as the lack of viable treatment alternatives, including plant-derived strategies. This review attempts to investigate the trends of research on in vitro antiviral effects of curcumin against different classes of human viral pathogens worldwide. Various electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for published English articles evaluating the anti-viral activity of curcumin. Data were then extracted and analyzed. The forty-three studies (published from 1993 to 2020) that were identified contain data for 24 different viruses. The 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50), 50% effective/inhibitory concentration (EC50/IC50), and stimulation index (SI) parameters showed that curcumin had antiviral activity against viruses causing diseases in humans. Data presented in this review highlight the potential antiviral applications of curcumin and open new avenues for further experiments on the clinical applications of curcumin and its derivatives.

Polyphenols Modulating Effects of PD-L1/PD-1 Checkpoint and EMT-Mediated PD-L1 Overexpression in Breast Cancer

Investigating dietary polyphenolic compounds as antitumor agents are rising due to the growing evidence of the close association between immunity and cancer. Cancer cells elude immune surveillance for enhancing their progression and metastasis utilizing various mechanisms. These mechanisms include the upregulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) cell phenotype activation. In addition to its role in stimulating normal embryonic development, EMT has been identified as a critical driver in various aspects of cancer pathology, including carcinogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Furthermore, EMT conversion to another phenotype, Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial Transition (MET), is crucial in developing cancer metastasis. A central mechanism in the upregulation of PD-L1 expression in various cancer types is EMT signaling activation. In breast cancer (BC) cells, the upregulated level of PD-L1 has become a critical target in cancer therapy. Various signal transduction pathways are involved in EMT-mediated PD-L1 checkpoint overexpression. Three main groups are considered potential targets in EMT development; the effectors (E-cadherin and Vimentin), the regulators (Zeb, Twist, and Snail), and the inducers that include members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Meanwhile, the correlation between consuming flavonoid-rich food and the lower risk of cancers has been demonstrated. In BC, polyphenols were found to downregulate PD-L1 expression. This review highlights the effects of polyphenols on the EMT process by inhibiting mesenchymal proteins and upregulating the epithelial phenotype. This multifunctional mechanism could hold promises in the prevention and treating breast cancer.

Curcumin as a Potential Treatment for COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that rapidly spread throughout the world leading to high mortality rates. Despite the knowledge of previous diseases caused by viruses of the same family, such as MERS and SARS-CoV, management and treatment of patients with COVID-19 is a challenge. One of the best strategies around the world to help combat the COVID-19 has been directed to drug repositioning; however, these drugs are not specific to this new virus. Additionally, the pathophysiology of COVID-19 is highly heterogeneous, and the way of SARS-CoV-2 modulates the different systems in the host remains unidentified, despite recent discoveries. This complex and multifactorial response requires a comprehensive therapeutic approach, enabling the integration and refinement of therapeutic responses of a given single compound that has several action potentials. In this context, natural compounds, such as Curcumin, have shown beneficial effects on the progression of inflammatory diseases due to its numerous action mechanisms: antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antiplatelet, and cytoprotective. These and many other effects of curcumin make it a promising target in the adjuvant treatment of COVID-19. Hence, the purpose of this review is to specifically point out how curcumin could interfere at different times/points during the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, providing a substantial contribution of curcumin as a new adjuvant therapy for the treatment of COVID-19.

Nutraceutical Curcumin with Promising Protection against Herpesvirus Infections and Their Associated Inflammation: Mechanisms and Pathways

Herpesviruses are DNA viruses that infect humans and animals with the ability to induce latent and lytic infections in their hosts, causing critical health complications. The enrolment of nutraceutical anti-herpesvirus drugs in clinical investigations with promising levels of reduced resistance, free or minimal cellular toxicity, and diverse mechanisms of action might be an effective way to defeat challenges that hurdle the progress of anti-herpesvirus drug development, including the problems with drug resistance and recurrent infections. Therefore, in this review, we aim to hunt down all investigations that feature the curative properties of curcumin, a principal bioactive phenolic compound of the spice turmeric, in regard to various human and animal herpesvirus infections and inflammation connected with these diseases. Curcumin was explored with potent antiherpetic actions against herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2, human cytomegalovirus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, Epstein–Barr virus, bovine herpesvirus 1, and pseudorabies virus. The mechanisms and pathways by which curcumin inhibits anti-herpesvirus activities by targeting multiple steps in herpesvirus life/infectious cycle are emphasized. Improved strategies to overcome bioavailability challenges that limit its use in clinical practice, along with approaches and new directions to enhance the anti-herpesvirus efficacy of this compound, are also reviewed. According to the reviewed studies, this paper presents curcumin as a promising natural drug for the prevention and treatment of herpesvirus infections and their associated inflammatory diseases.

Anti-Viral Potential and Modulation of Nrf2 by Curcumin: Pharmacological Implications

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an essential transcription factor that maintains the cell's redox balance state and reduces inflammation in different adverse stresses. Under the oxidative stress, Nrf2 is separated from Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), which is a key sensor of oxidative stress, translocated to the nucleus, interacts with the antioxidant response element (ARE) in the target gene, and then activates the transcriptional pathway to ameliorate the cellular redox condition. Curcumin is a yellow polyphenolic curcuminoid from Curcuma longa (turmeric) that has revealed a broad spectrum of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-viral activities. Curcumin significantly increases the nuclear expression levels and promotes the biological effects of Nrf2 via the interaction with Cys151 in Keap1, which makes it a marvelous therapeutic candidate against a broad range of oxidative stress-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, viral infections, and more recently SARS-CoV-2. Currently, the multifactorial property of the diseases and lack of adequate medical treatment, especially in viral diseases, result in developing new strategies to finding potential drugs. Curcumin potentially opens up new views as possible Nrf2 activator. However, its low bioavailability that is due to low solubility and low stability in the physiological conditions is a significant challenge in the field of its efficient and effective utilization in medicinal purposes. In this review, we summarized recent studies on the potential effect of curcumin to activate Nrf2 as the design of potential drugs for a viral infection like SARS-Cov2 and acute and chronic inflammation diseases in order to improve the cells' protection.

Curcumin as an Antiviral Agent

Curcumin, the primary curcuminoid compound found in turmeric spice, has shown broad activity as an antimicrobial agent, limiting the replication of many different fungi, bacteria and viruses. In this review, we summarize recent studies supporting the development of curcumin and its derivatives as broad-spectrum antiviral agents.

Co-encapsulation of acyclovir and curcumin into microparticles improves the physicochemical characteristics and potentiates in vitro antiviral action: Influence of the polymeric composition

The present study developed and characterized microparticles formulations containing acyclovir and curcumin co-encapsulated in order to overcome the biopharmaceutical limitations and increase the antiviral effect of both drugs. The microparticles were prepared by a spray drying methodology following the ratio 1:3 (drug:polymer), which were made by hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and/or Eudragit® RS100 (EUD). The MP-1 formulation was composed of HPMC and EUD (1:1), MP-2 formulation was composed only of HPMC and MP-3 formulation was composed only of EUD. All formulations showed yielding around 50% and acceptable powder flowability. Drug content determination around 82.1-96.8% and 81.8-87% for acyclovir and curcumin, respectively. The microparticles had spherical shape, size within 11.5-15.3 μm, unimodal distribution and no chemical interactions among the components of the formulations. Of particular importance, the polymeric composition considerably influenced on the release profile of the drugs. The in vitro release experiment demonstrated that the microencapsulation provided a sustained release of acyclovir as well as increased the solubility of curcumin. Besides, mathematical modeling indicated that the experimental fit biexponential equation. Importantly, drugs microencapsulation promoted superior antiviral effect against BoVH-1 virus in comparison to their free form, which could be attributed to the improvement in the aforementioned physicochemical parameters. Therefore, these formulations could be promising technological drug carriers for acyclovir and curcumin, which highlight the great offering a potential alternative treatment for viral herpes.

Efficacy of curcumin/turmeric on liver enzymes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background

Several studies reported that curcumin supplementation could improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on liver enzymes in patients with NAFLD.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were systematically searched until December 2017. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which examined effect of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on NAFLD in adult participants. Main outcome was alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Potential risks of bias (ROB) were assessed by using Cochrane ROB tool.

Results

All included studies showed low ROB in most of item of Cochrane ROB tool. Meta-analysis of 4 randomized controlled trials including 228 subjects showed a trend toward significant reduction of ALT blood concentrations in subgroup with ≥1000 mg/day curcumin supplementation (–11.36 IU/L, 95% CI: –22.75 to 0.02; I²:51%). Meta-analysis showed a significant reduction of AST in studies with 8-weeks administration (–9.22 IU/L, 95% CI: –12.77 to –5.67; I²: 49%).

Conclusion

This review suggests that curcumin/turmeric might have a favorable effect on NAFLD in higher dosage. Further high-quality studies with large-scale and higher dosage are warranted.