Background:
Several researches have shown that therapeutic compounds or phytochemicals
from natural sources are important in the food as it is valuable in pharmaceutical industries due
to their fewer side effects and potent against various diseases. Curcumin, a major polyphenol derived
from turmeric spice, which used in many foods, has a wide range of biological activities, with quite a
safety.
Objective:
The goal of this study was to investigate the antioxidant, urate-lowering, and antiinflammatory
effects of pure curcumin.
Methods:
The antioxidant activity was evaluated for chain-breaking antioxidant effect (radicalscavenging
and reducing abilities assays) and for preventive antioxidant effect with metal chelating
assay, the urate-lowering was assayed on aspectrophotometer by measuring the inhibition of uric acid
production by xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme, and the anti-inflammatory effect was estimated using
in vitro albumin denaturation inhibition.
Results:
Curcumin showed a significant and good chain-breaking antioxidant effect, both in free radical-
scavenging assays (Galvinoxyl radical, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical), and in reducing abilities
methods (reducing power, Cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity and O-phenanthroline assays). In
preventive antioxidant effect, assessed with the metal chelating assay, curcumin showed significant
effect but with high concentration compared with standard. In the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system,
curcumin significantly inhibited uric acid production (IC50=0.71 ± 0.06 mg/mL). Regarding antiinflammatory
activity, curcumin showed significant inhibition of albumin denaturation with an IC50
value of 1181.69 ± 1.11μg/mL.
Conclusion:
These results indicated that curcumin showed promising antioxidant, anti-gout and antiinflammatory
properties and might be used as potential, natural drugs against oxidative and inflammation-
related diseases.
Assay systems for screening food and natural substances that have anti-hyperuricemic activity: uric acid production in cultured hepatocytes and purine bodies-induced hyperuricemic model mice
