Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2013; 19(48): 9256-9270
Published online Dec 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9256
Therapeutic potential of curcumin in digestive diseases
Pietro Dulbecco, Vincenzo Savarino
Pietro Dulbecco, Vincenzo Savarino, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Author contributions: Both authors contributed to the search and analysis of literature and to the writing of the paper.
Correspondence to: Pietro Dulbecco, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV6, 16132 Genoa, Italy. pdulbecco@unige.it
Telephone: +39-10-3538956 Fax: +39-10-3538956
Received: July 26, 2013
Revised: September 10, 2013
Accepted: September 15, 2013
Published online: December 28, 2013
Processing time: 172 Days and 4.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Curcumin is a well-established molecule with multiple pharmacological activities, mainly anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative. The major hurdle for a widespread clinical use has been represented by its poor bioavailability, which has been recently overcome by the development of a new formulation combining curcumin with phospholipids (curcumin-phytosome). This compound permits to improve markedly intestinal absorption of curcumin and guarantees a greater tissue delivery than the traditional curcuminoid mixtures. So, curcumin-phythosome has the potential to be exploited in many gastrointestinal diseases, both functional and organic.