Pharmacokinetic interactions of curcuminoids with conventional drugs: A review

Ethnopharmacological relevanceHerb-drug interactions are of great concern in health practices. Curcumin is a natural polyphenol extracted from turmeric, a spice widely used all over the world. Curcumin is clinically used due to its acceptable safety profile and therapeutic efficacy.Aim of the studyCurrent paper aims to highlight the effect of curcumin on concomitantly used drugs.MethodsElectronic databases including PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct were searched with the keywords "curcumin" in the title/abstract and "drug interaction," "drug metabolism," "cytochrome," "P-glycoprotein" and "P450" in the whole text.ResultsCurcumin can induce pharmacokinetic alterations such as changes in Cmax and AUC when concomitantly used with pharmacological agents like cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants, anticoagulants, antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, and antihistamines. The underlying mechanisms of these interactions include inhibition of cytochrome (CYP) isoenzymes and P-glycoprotein. There is only one clinical trial which proved a significant alteration of conventional drugs in concomitant use with curcumin indicating the need for further human studies.ConclusionsAlthough in vitro and in vivo studies do not provide enough evidence to judge the clinical drug interactions of curcumin, physicians must remain cautious and avoid drug combinations which may lead to curcumin-drug interactions.

CYP: cytochrome P450, CL: clearance, OATP: organic anion-transporting polypeptide, AUC: area under the plasma concentration-time curve, Cmax: maximum plasma concentration, GST: glutathione-S-transferase, P-gp: P-glycoprotein, UDPG: Uridine dinucleotide phosphate glucuronosyltransferases.203