Preliminary studies in mice
suggest that curcumin, a compound found in the curry spice turmeric, may
block the progression of multiple sclerosis.
According to researcher Dr.
Chandramohan Natarajan of Vanderbilt University in mice with an MS-like
illness showed little or no signs of disease symptoms after being injected
with curcumin, while animals without the treatment went on to severe paralysis.
No one knows what causes multiple
sclerosis, in which the body's immune system attacks the protective myelin
sheath surrounding nerve fibers in the brain and spine. Symptoms of multiple
sclerosis include muscle weakness and stiffness, balance and coordination
problems, numbness and vision disturbances.
Interest in the potential neuroprotective
properties of curcumin rose after studies found very low levels of neurological
diseases such as Alzheimer's in elderly Indian populations. Added to this
were studies confirming curcumin as a potent anti-inflammatory agent,
effective in wound healing. And just last fall, researchers at the University
of California, Los Angeles reported that curcumin appeared to slow the
progression of Alzheimer's in mice.
In their 30-day study, Natarajan
and co-researcher Dr. John Bright gave injections of 50- and 100-microgram
doses of curcumin, three times per week, to a group of mice bred to develop
a disease called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) -- an autoimmune
condition used by researchers as a model for multiple sclerosis because
it also results in the slow erosion of myelin. They then watched the mice
for signs of MS-like neurological impairment.
By day 15, mice who had not
received curcumin developed EAE to such an extent that they displayed
complete paralysis of both hind limbs.
In contrast, mice given the
50-microgram dose of the curry compound showed only minor symptoms, such
as a temporarily stiff tail. And mice given the 100-microgram dose appeared
completely unimpaired throughout the 30 days of the study.
In Asian countries, such as
India, China, who are eating more spicy foods, more yellow compounds like
curcumin...there are only very, very rare reports of MS. The doses the
mice received were roughly equivalent in human terms to those found in
a typical Indian diet.
Just how curcumin might work
to thwart the progression of demyelinization remains unclear. But the
Nashville researchers believe it may interrupt the production of IL-12,
a protein that plays a key role in signaling immune cells to launch their
assault on the myelin sheath.
Annual
Experimental Biology 2002 Conference New Orleans, LA April 23, 2002
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