Antioxidant Properties and Safety Evaluation of Curcumin (CurcuWIN TM )

Curcumin (CurcuWIN TM ) a polyphenolic compound isolated from Curcuma longa L. and has a long history of use in Indian medicine. The curcumin formulation(CurcuWIN TM ) is a combination of hydrophilic carrier, cellulosic derivatives and natural antioxidants significantly increases curcuminoid appearance in the blood (46 fold increase over other forms). CurcuWIN TM demonstrated antidepressant, antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. Twenty‐eight (28) male Wistar rats (age: 8 Wk, weight: 180 ± 20 g) were divided into four treatment groups (i) control [no Ex, Group I (C)] (ii) C + Cur [no Ex, Group II] (iii) C + Ex [Group III] and (iv) C + Ex+ Cur [Group IV]. Cur [100 mg/ kg, contains approximately 20 mg of curcuminoids] was administered daily as an oral supplement per d for 6 weeks. Safety end points including liver, heart and kidney functions were measured for curcumin (CurcuWIN TM ) treated groups and compared with control. Tissues such as lung, kidney, spleen, heart, pancreas, small and large intestines, stomach, testes, skeletal muscle and skin were observed for micro and macroscopic changes during the treatment period. No treatment related clinical signs and mortalities were observed. Similarly, no treatment related changes in liver and kidney functions, body weight, feed consumption; organ weights, no gross lesions and no changes in histopathology were observed. Muscle MDA was significantly decreased; SOD, GPx and GSH were significantly improved in curcumin treated groups. Therefore, it is concluded that curcumin (CurcuWIN TM ) is safe and has antioxidant properties.