How are Turmeric and its Derivative Products Beneficial for Intestinal Health?
Mod J Med Biol
Turmeric is the common name for the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., and has been used as a curative and digestive aide in both Chinese and Indian traditional medicine since ancient times. Investigations into the physiological actions of this particular spice have increased over the past decade. While the benefits of adding turmeric to the diet are slowly being delineated by the increasing popularity of food-supplement research, the mechanisms by which it exerts its effects are still unclear and there is little evidence to explain the poor bioavailability of turmeric and the protective/restorative effects it clearly exhibits. The focus of this review was to assess the current scientific literature to determine the chemical characteristics of turmeric and its derivative products, and the nature of their interactions with the gut microbiota and intestinal microbiome. Results from this analysis demonstrate that turmeric can provide numerous derivative products, through both physiological degradation and microbial fermentation that are associated with intestinal integrity. Furthermore, a small number of papers relate turmeric/product actions as having a potential prebiotic effect on probiotic bacterial colonies such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium species.
Keywords: Curcuma Longa: Turmeric; Curcumin; Microbiome; Intestinal Health
Abbreviations: IBD: Irritable Bowel Disease; IEC: Intestinal Epithelial Cells; LPS: Lipopolysaccharide; ML-CK: Myosin light-chain kinase; ROS: Reactive Oxygen Species; SCFA: Short-chain Fatty Acids; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; TE: Turmeric Extract; UC: Ulcerative Colitis
