Review

Curcumin, inflammation, ageing and age-related diseases

E Sikora¹ , Giovanni Scapagnini² and Mario Barbagallo³

¹  Laboratory of Molecular Bases of Ageing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS, Warsaw, Poland

²  Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

³  Geriatric Unit, Dept of Internal Medicine and Emergent Pathologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

author email corresponding author email

Immunity & Ageing 2010, 7:1doi:10.1186/1742-4933-7-1

Published:	17 January 2010

Abstract

A Symposium regarding the Pathophysiology of Successful and Unsuccessful Ageing was held in Palermo, Italy between April 7 and 8^th 2009. Here the lecture by Sikora with some input from the chairpersons Scapagnini and Barbagallo is summarized. Ageing is manifested by the decreasing health status and increasing probability to acquire age-related disease such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic disorders and others. They are likely caused by low grade inflammation driven by oxygen stress and manifested by the increased level of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α, encoded by genes activated by the transcription factor NF-κB. It is believed that ageing is plastic and can be slowed down by caloric restriction as well as by some nutraceuticals. Accordingly, slowing down ageing and postponing the onset of age-related diseases might be achieved by blocking the NF-κB-dependent inflammation. In this review we consider the possibility of the spice curcumin, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent possibly capable of improving the health status of the elderly.