Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases

Table 3 Substances and hepatic intoxication mechanisms contrasted by curcumin

Intoxications	Pathogenetic mechanisms	Curcumin effects
Iron (alcoholic liver disease; steatosis, viral hepatitis; anemia)	Fibrosis induced by oxidation	Anti-oxidant enzymatic activity
Alcohol (chronic or acute intoxication)	Phospholipase A2 activation	Phospholipase A2 inhibition by NF-κB
High-fat diet (lipid storage)	Focal degeneration, micronecrosis	Acil-CoA, cholesterol biliary acids; LDL peroxidation
Xenobiotics induced acute damage	ROS, lipid peroxidation, inflammation	Scavenger activity on NF-κB; anti-oxidant enzymatic activity
Xenobiotics induced chronic damage	Inflammation and hepatocellular necrosis	Hepatic fibrosis inhibition by NF-κB
Poisons (carbon tetrachloride)	Inflammatory self-maintenance	Hepatic inflammation inhibition by NF-κB

ROS: Reactive oxygen species; LDL: Low density lipoprotein; NF-κB: Nuclear factor kappa B.