Review of the Bioactivity and the Structure-function Relationship of Curcumin

Curcumin,the active substance of turmeric.has multiple therapeutic activities.However,its water solubility and bio-availability in vivo is very low,which limits the utility of curcumin.This article reviewed recent approaches of the bioactivity and the structure-function relationship of curcumin.The authors suggest that new methods should be tried to modify the structure of cureumin and further studies of therapeutic activities of the homologues are needed. Key words: Curcumin; Structure-function relationship