Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 254-263 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 254 Feature Review Open Access Curcuma longa and Its Bioactive Curcuminoids: Molecular Mechanisms in Anti-inflammatory and Immunomodulation Guangman Xu , Jiayi Wu Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: guangman.xu@cuixi.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0027 Received: 08 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 15 Oct., 2025 Published: 21 Nov., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Xu and Wu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Xu G.M., and Wu J.Y., 2025, Curcuma longa and its bioactive curcuminoids: molecular mechanisms in anti-inflammatory and immunomodulation, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(6): 254-263 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0027) Abstract Curcuma longa and its major bioactive compound, curcumin, have been used widely in traditional medicine and have attracted wide research attention worldwide for their prominent anti-inflammation and immunomodulatory effects in recent years. This study summarizes the chemical properties of C. longa and curcumin, their major bioactive constituents, and the mechanism of their synergistic actions, focusing on inhibiting inflammatory responses through the modulation of the NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways to regulate innate and adaptive immunity, inflammasomes, and the activity of immune-related cells. It integrates the progress in the in vitro, animal, and clinical research, discussing bioavailability, metabolism, and gut microbiota interactions on their physiological activities. Safety, dosage, possible risks, and challenges in translation into pharmaceutical applications are analyzed. Being natural products, C. longa and curcumin possess huge potential in the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammation-related diseases. More studies in mechanistic elucidation and clinical validation would be required to promote the clinical application of C. longa and curcumin. In addition, this study has helped gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms of the therapeutic properties of C. longa and curcumin, which provides the scientific basis necessary for developing and applying C. longa and curcumin as natural anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents in the management of chronic diseases. Keywords Curcuma longa; Curcumin; Anti-inflammatory; Immunomodulation; Molecular mechanisms 1 Introduction Turmeric is a rhizomatous perennial herb belonging to the family Zingiberaceae and has been widely cultivated throughout South and Southeast Asia. Historical documents evidenced that turmeric has conventionally been used for more than 4 000 years, with its medicinal properties standing out in Ayurveda, Unani, and traditional Chinese medicine. Conventionally, turmeric rhizomes have been used traditionally for the treatment of wounds, digestive disorders, respiratory ailments, and various inflammatory diseases. In addition to its cultural and traditional importance, turmeric has received increasing global scientific interest because of its pharmacological activities with broad spectra: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and metabolic regulatory effects. Recent development in phytochemistry and molecular biology has catapulted turmeric into an exciting natural therapeutic agent against chronic diseases associated with inflammation and immune dysfunction (Zhang et al., 2024). Curcumin, first isolated in the early 19th century, is the most studied polyphenolic compound obtained fromC. longa. It belongs to a class of diarylheptanoids known as curcuminoids, including demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC). The structural entity of curcumin consists of two feruloyl moieties linked by a conjugated heptadiene chain, giving it high electron-donating and radical-scavenging activity. This is the structure behind its interaction with multiple molecular targets, modulation of cascading, and consequent pleiotropic biological effects. Despite this multifunctional activity, curcumin is poorly soluble in aqueous media and hence shows low bioavailability. Hence, much effort has been made toward developing its improved formulations and delivery systems. The fast-growing understanding of the chemistry of curcuminoids has thus awakened interest in their possible therapeutic efficacy and mechanistic diversity (Kocaadam and Sanli̇er, 2017).
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