Tumeric: A compond found in tumeric encourages brain repair

A compound found in turmeric
encourages brain repair
Scientists have discovered that a common curry
spice encourages the growth of neural stem cells
in rats, and could help the brain heal itself.
Image: John A. Anderson/Shutterstock
New research suggests that aromatic-tumerone, a
compound found in the spice turmeric, could be
used to create future drugs to treat patients with
neural impairment, such as sufferers of strokes
and Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists from the Institute of Neuroscience and
Medicine at the Research Centre Juelich in
Germany studied the impact that aromatic-
tumerone has on neural cells by injecting the
compound into the brains of rats. Scans revealed
that, after being injected with the compound, the
regions of the brain involved in nerve cell growth
were more active.
The researchers also tested the impact of the
compound directly on neural stem cells, which are
cells that have the ability to transform into any
type of brain cell and, in theory, should be able to
repair damage or disease. But in humans and
other mammals this process doesn’t seem to
work so well.
"In humans and higher developed animals their
abilities do not seem to be sufficient to repair the
brain but in fish and smaller animals they seem to
work well,” Maria Adele Rueger, a neuroscientist
who was part of the research team, told Smitha
Mundasad from BBC News.
After treating rodent neural stem cells in different
concentrations of aromatic-tumerone, the
scientists found that the compound encouraged
the growth of the neural stem cells - and the
higher the concentration, the greater the growth.
The turmeric compound also sped up the
differentiation of the stem cells. The results are
published in the journal Stem Cell Research and
Therapy.
"It is interesting that it might be possible to boost
the effectiveness of the stem cells with aromatic-
turmerone. And it is possible this in turn can help
boost repair in the brain,” Rueger told the BBC.
The team is now looking into human trials to find
out whether the turmeric compound has the same
effect on our brain cells.