Effect of Curcuma longa L. and curcumin on diabetes and it’s complications: A review

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus, remains a metabolic disorder which is alarmingly rising in the world. It is characterized by hyperglycemia, and associates relative or absolute insulin deficiency or resistance. Disruption of the metabolism may cause lot of micro and macro vascular complications mostly affecting vital organs like kidneys, heart, eyes, and nerves. Objective: To discuss the potential of C. longa and its constituent curcumin in treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Method: An electronic search was performed using Science Direct, Scopus, Springer link, PubMed, Google scholar and collected articles in English up to 2020 August 15 relating to C. longa and curcumin in treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Results: C. longa root or rhizome is an indigenous herb used as a spice in Asian cuisine for thousand years and known to have various therapeutic, medicinal applications for various diseases including diabetes. Curcumin is the major polyphenolic constituent of, C. longa. Human and animal researches conducted using C. longa and curcumin have proven that, the usage of C. longa is beneficial for the treatment of diabetes mellitus including diabetic complications. Curcumin has been reported to prevent the development of diabetes by exerting its cellular effects via various molecular mechanisms. Therapeutic potential of curcumin has been reported against various diabetic complications such as nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiac myopathy, etc. in numerous preclinical and clinical studies. Conclusion: These findings might enable to design and practice novel treatment strategies for diabetes mellitus and its complications, and promote inclusion of C. longa in clinical practice for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and diabetes related diseases. Furthermore, C. longa clinically proven ailment for many diseases including diabetes could be consumed as a safe ingredient of healthy diet. More attention should be extended towards conducting further research on this valuable molecule to utilize it as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and other human diseases.