Sharfa Ahmad
Ashley Singh
Question:

How can compounds in turmeric, specifically curcumin, impact the growth, repair and aging of neural and brain cells?

Background:

Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a plant belonging to the ginger herb family that grows exclusively in warm, humid environments above 60°F (“Tumeric”). Traditionally, the harvested root of this plant has been used as a spice for flavoring, especially in curries, or a dye for coloring and staining. In certain places in India and across Asia, it has been used to treat varied health conditions and ailments because of the belief in its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. Preliminary lab studies suggest that curcumin, a major component of turmeric “seems to block the growth of certain kinds of tumors” and “protects  against  types of skin diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, colitis, stomach ulcers, and high cholesterol,” (Turmeric (Curcumin)).

Diet and foods one consumes plays a significant role in the way the brain works. This ingested compounds influence one’s cognitive function (Gómez-Pinilla). In the case of turmeric, the curcurmin “prevents aging-associated changes in cellular proteins that lead to protein insolubility and aggregation” (Monroy) which is often a trademark of neurodegenerative age-related diseases.

Proposed Methodology
  1. Add curcumin to pig plasma(prepared from whole blood) at low, medium and high concentrations of 0.4, 1.0 and 4.0 μg/mL.
  2. Pipet spiked plasma (200 μL) into 2-mL test tubes and vortex-mixed for 20 s. Forty microlitre IS (7 μg/mL) was added to each plasma sample, and samples were vortex-mixed (20 s).
  3. Extract plasma samples with 1 mL of extraction solvent and vortex-mixed
    for 30 s.
  4. Centrifuge the samples and transfer to a clean glass tube.
  5. Dissolve the dried residue in 200 μL mobile phase, vortex-mix for 30 s, leave in the dark at room temperature for at least 10 min and vortex-mix again (20 s). Transfer the content of each glass tube into an injection sample vial, and inject 10 μL into the HPLC system.
  6. Thaw mouse brain (entire brain hemispheres, 1 g) and weigh into a measuring cylinder (10 mL) and homogenise
  7. The homogenate was made up to a final volume of 10 mL with PBS. Vortex-mix. Add curcumin was brain homogenates at low, medium and high concentrations. Extract and reconstitute curcumin as described for plasma. Record response rates.(Schiborr, Eckert, Rimbach, Frank, 2010)
Citations

Gómez-Pinilla, Fernando. “Brain Foods: The Effects of Nutrients on Brain Function.” Nature reviews. Neuroscience 9.7 (2008): 568–578. PMC. Web. 8 Sept. 2017.

Monroy, Adriana, et al. “Curcumin and neurodegenerative diseases.” BioFactors, vol. 39, no. 1, 2013, pp. 122–132., doi:10.1002/biof.1063.

Schiborr, C., Eckert, G. P., Rimbach, G., & Frank, J. (2010). A validated method for the quantification of curcumin in plasma and brain tissue by fast narrow-bore high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 397(5), 1917-1925. doi:10.1007/s00216-010-3719-3

“Turmeric.” Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. . Encyclopedia.com. 5 Sep. 2017 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Turmeric (Curcumin). (n.d.). Retrieved September 01, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-turmeric#1