Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and impaired cognitive functions; its prevalence is increasing with the growth of the global elderly population. Unfortunately, early diagnostic and treatment methods developed by modern medicine have limited effectiveness for this disease. This situation has increased interest in natural ingredients, such as curcumin, which have beneficial effects on health. Some preclinical studies evaluating the efficacy of curcumin in Alzheimer's disease suggest that it may have preventive, protective, and therapeutic effects through various mechanisms, including anti-amyloidogenic effects, improvement of tau pathology, cholinesterase inhibition, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, metal chelation, microbiota modulation, and epigenetic regulation. Similarly, some preclinical studies indicate that curcumin-based probes may offer a promising approach to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. However, inconsistencies exist between preclinical and clinical studies. Curcumin's low bioavailability and high systemic elimination may be among the most significant causes of these inconsistencies. It is also thought that this situation may be related to differences and limitations in preclinical and clinical study designs. There is a need for preclinical studies that follow comprehensive, standardized protocols and for larger-scale, long-term, well-designed clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of curcumin in the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, potential risks, such as the toxicological effects of curcumin with increased bioavailability and curcumin-drug interactions in Alzheimer's patients, should be evaluated.
Aydoğdu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.