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conferenceseries.com
February 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany
9th International Congress on
Nutrition & Health
Volume 7 Issue 1 (Suppl) J Nutr Food Sci
ISSN:2155-9600 JNFS, an open access journal Nutrition & Health 2017
February 20-21, 2017 Berlin, Germany
Zorka Stanić, J Nutr Food Sci 2017, 7:1 (Suppl)
Curcumin: Amultifunctional compound from natural sources and current state of its research
Zorka Stanić
University of Kragujevac, Serbia
Turmeric plant, Curcuma longa, a popular, thousands of years used Indian spice for the human nutrition for centuries used in
herbal medicines for the treatment of a variety diseases, is constantly in the focus of the world scientific community. Gladly
consumed in a daily dosage of approximately 3 g/70 kg, this spice is used as a food but serves as a safe, natural medicament, without
any perceived adverse, side effects in clinical trials. Thanks to the aforesaid, curcumin, as a main ingredient of turmeric, is the
subject of intensive examination of various, mutually intertwined scientific fields–nutrition, food chemistry, medicine, and pharmacy.
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-proliferative, anti-carcinogenic, anti-amyloidogenic, antiviral, anti-HIV effects
are just some of the many biological activities which this vital compound possesses. The structure of curcumin and its ability to
overcome multidrug resistance of different cancer cells represents a main base for its implementation as a therapeutic agent. However,
a weakness of this, justified-popular compound, consists of its low water solubility and stability, rapid metabolism and thereby poor
absorption/bioavailability. Exactly the stated “weaknesses” of curcumin are the main guidelines for further researches. Nanoparticle-
based carriers, different forms of curcumin encapsulation in different micelles, and improving drug delivery systems are some of
today’s existing solutions for overcoming the specified drawbacks of curcumin. The significance of the quality of a substance delivery
system is reflected in the fact that carrying curcumin as a food additive/nutrition also means carrying the active biological product/
drug. Implementation of a safe and functional compounds from natural sources in therapy, carried out some modifications in order
to achieve their multi-functionality, improve their bioavailability and delivery strategies, and reduce the potentially-negative side
effects, with the main aim to enhance their effectiveness; these are the prime guidelines for the future scientific research teams, all
over the world.
Biography
Zorka Stanić is working as an Associate Professor of Faculty of Science and has gained her experience in both research and teaching. She has been investigating
Fundamental and Applicable Chemistry, particularly focusing on sensors/biosensors and compounds of a great importance for human. In recent years, she has
built a special interest towards food additive/nutrition with an active biological/drug function and, hence, she is widely open to investigating naturally occurring
polyphenols, much further. These scientific studies include evaluation and application of safe, beneficial and highly multi-functional compounds from natural source
in nutrition and therapy.