Curcumin: A review of its potential role in epigenetic mechanism

Abstract

Curcumin, a golden-yellow powder extracted from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa L. (Family: Zingiberaceae) has been used as a therapeutic agent since ancient times. Curcumin is a diferuloylmethane type of compound having two ferulic acid moieties bound together through a methylene group stabilized by a hydrogen-bonded keto-enol tautomeric form. This tautomeric form is stable in acidic medium but unstable in neutral and basic pH solutions, where it is degraded to ferulic acid and feruloylmethane units. Studies on cell culture and animal models have demonstrated the potential of curcumin as an antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, wound healing, antiobesity, antiatherosclerosis, anticarcinogenic and neuroprotective agent. At molecular level, it showed the reversible epigenetic regulations include changes in DNA methylation, Histone modification and alteration in microRNA (miRNA) expression without changes in DNA sequence. This review discusses the chemical nature of curcumin and its regulation of epigenetic mechanisms leading to genome rearrangements and instability at the DNA level.