The effects of Curcuma Longa L. and its constituents in respiratory disorders and molecular mechanisms of their action

Abstract Introduction: Turmeric, the common name for Curcuma longa L. is a perennial herb belonging to Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases for a long time. This plant and its constituents have been used for the treatment of various diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, bronchitis and asthma. Previous studies also reported bronchodilatory and preventive effects of this plant and its constituents on respiratory diseases. Objectives: This chapter highlights the various effects of C. longa and its constituents in animal models of respiratory diseases and patients with respiratory disorders. Material and Methods: For this objective, different search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct databases for English articles published until the end of June 2018 were checked using C. longa, curcumin and respiratory disorders. Discussion and Conclusion: The results of various studies indicated relaxant effects of the plant and its constituents on tracheal smooth muscles indicating the possible bronchodilatory effect in patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases. The plant and its constituent curcumin also showed the preventive effect on an animal model of respiratory diseases including the effect on inflammatory cells and mediators, lung pathological changes, airway responsiveness and immunomodulatory effect. There were also clinical evidences regarding the therapeutic effect of the plant and its constituents on respiratory diseases. Based on obtained results from these studies, C. longa and its constituents mainly curcumin possess relieving and preventive effects on respiratory disorders and their molecular mechanisms were also shown.