Curcumin exhibits anti-malarial activity in a mouse model. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Curcumin for malaria therapy.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Jan 14;326(2):472-4. PMID: 15582601
Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0360, USA.
Malaria remains a major global health concern. New, inexpensive, and effective antimalarial agents are urgently needed. Here we show that curcumin, a polyphenolic organic molecule derived from turmeric, inhibits chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum growth in culture in a dose dependent manner with an IC(50) of approximately 5 microM. Additionally, oral administration of curcumin to mice infected with malaria parasite (Plasmodium berghei) reduces blood parasitemia by 80-90% and enhances their survival significantly. Thus, curcumin may represent a novel treatment for malarial infection.