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Curcumin may help overcome drug-resistant tuberculosis

Here we go, if Curcumin acts the same way on MAP as TB we might have something,increases autophagy and apoptosis.



Old Mike

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-03-curcumin-drug-resistant-tuberculosis.html

Abstract


Background and objective


With the worldwide emergence of highly drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), novel agents that have direct antimycobacterial effects or that enhance host immunity are urgently needed. Curcumin is a polyphenol responsible for the bright yellow-orange colour of turmeric, a spice derived from the root of the perennial herb Curcuma longa. Curcumin is a potent inducer of apoptosis—an effector mechanism used by macrophages to kill intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).


Methods


An in vitro human macrophage infection model was used to determine the effects of curcumin on MTB survival.


Results


We found that curcumin enhanced the clearance of MTB in differentiated THP-1 human monocytes and in primary human alveolar macrophages. We also found that curcumin was an inducer of caspase-3-dependent apoptosis and autophagy. Curcumin mediated these anti-MTB cellular functions, in part, via inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB) activation.


Conclusion


Curcumin protects against MTB infection in human macrophages. The host-protective role of curcumin against MTB in macrophages needs confirmation in an animal model; if validated, the immunomodulatory anti-TB effects of curcumin would be less prone to drug resistance development.
 
It has always been used extensively in Indian cooking and herbal medicine, interesting the antibacterial effect may have been discovered centuries before modern medicine identified it. I bought some Turmeric capsules from a health food shop a while ago and have taken them from time to time, anecdotally they seem to have a positive effect on my bowels.
 
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