Inhibitory effects of curcumin on sequel of infections and their signaling pathways: a review

Abstract

&NA; Curcumin, a bright yellow chemical produced by some plants (turmeric) that are member of the ginger family, is cultivated in tropical regions of Asia. It has many impacts, including antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Different databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science with keywords of ‘Curcumin’, ‘anti-microbial’, ‘anti-fungal’, ‘anti-parasitic’, ‘anti-viral’, ‘Infection’, ‘Pathogen’, ‘anti-bacterial’, and ‘Herbal Drug’ have been considered in this search without publication time limitation. This study reviewed the inhibitory effects of curcumin on infections. Based on these studies, the plant drug of curcumin is a therapeutic effective agent for the advancement of treatment against the types of pathogens including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Nevertheless, it seems that be essential for more researches, especially about parasites and fungi that have been performed fewer studies about the effect of curcumin on them. Curcumin exerts its effects on sequel of infections and their agents via influence on signaling pathways, cell cycle, drug synergism, inducing apoptosis and inhibition of virulence factors.