Affiliations 

  • 1 Sunway Institute for Healthcare Development (SIHD), Sunway University, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 2 Molecular Pathology Unit, Cancer Research Centre (CaRC), Institute for Medical Research (IMR), 50588 Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), 13200 Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
  • 4 Molecular Pathology Unit, Cancer Research Centre (CaRC), Institute for Medical Research (IMR), 50588 Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Research, Development and Innovation, International Medical University (IMU), 57000 Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Sunway Institute for Healthcare Development (SIHD), Sunway University, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Anatomical Pathology Department, Sunway Medical Centre, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
J Trop Med, 2016;2016:2853045.
PMID: 27956904

Abstract

Curcumin, the major constituent of Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae family) or turmeric, commonly used for cooking in Asian cuisine, is known to possess a broad range of pharmacological properties at relatively nontoxic doses. Curcumin is found to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). As demonstrated by in vitro experiment, curcumin exerts even more potent effects when used in combination with various other antibacterial agents. Hence, curcumin which is a natural product derived from plant is believed to have profound medicinal benefits and could be potentially developed into a naturally derived antibiotic in the future. However, there are several noteworthy challenges in the development of curcumin as a medicine. S. aureus infections, particularly those caused by the multidrug-resistant strains, have emerged as a global health issue and urgent action is needed. This review focuses on the antibacterial activities of curcumin against both methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). We also attempt to highlight the potential challenges in the effort of developing curcumin into a therapeutic antibacterial agent.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.