Curcumin Increases CAMP Levels

CORVALLIS, Ore.Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) found curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric often used in curry dishes, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein known to help prevent infection in humans and animals.

This cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) is part of what helps the immune system fight off various bacteria, viruses or fungi even though they hadnt been encountered before.

Turmeric is a flavorful, orange-yellow spice and an important ingredient in many curries, commonly found in Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has also been used for 2,500 years as a medicinal compound in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. In India, turmeric is treated with reverence. 

The newest findings were made by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU and published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health. 

This research points to a new avenue for regulating CAMP gene expression," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the Linus Pauling Institute. Its interesting and somewhat surprising that curcumin can do that, and could provide another tool to develop medical therapies." 

The impact of curcumin in this role is not nearly as potent as that of vitamin D, Gombart said, but could have physiologic value. Curcumin has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 

In this study, Chunxiao Guo, a graduate student, and Gombart looked at the potential of both curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids to increase expression of the CAMP gene. They found no particular value with the omega-3 fatty acids for this purpose, but curcumin did have a clear effect. It caused  levels of CAMP to almost triple. 

The CAMP peptide is the only known antimicrobial peptide of its type in humans, researchers said. It appears to have the ability to kill a broad range of bacteria, including those that cause tuberculosis and protect against the development of sepsis.