Curcumin, a dietary pigment responsible for the yellow colour of curry, has been used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory activity. The mechanism in anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin has been investigated; however, little is known about the effect of curcumin on cytokine production by human peripheral blood monocytes and alveolar macrophages. In the present study, we shed light on the effect of curcumin on inflammatory cytokine production by human peripheral blood monocytes and alveolar macrophages. To this end, we determined the concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1 alpha), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the culture supernatants from phorbor ester, 4 beta phorbor 12 beta-myristate-13 alpha acetate (PMA)- or lipo-polysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocytes and alveolar macrophages in the presence or absence of curcumin. Curcumin inhibited the production of IL-8, MIP-l alpha, MCP-1, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha by PMA- or LPS-stimulated monocytes and alveolar macrophages in a concentration- and a time-dependent manner. These results show that curcumin exhibits an inhibitory effect on the production of IL-8, MIP-1 alpha, MCP-1, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha by PMA- or LPS-stimulated monocytes and alveolar macrophages. (C) 1999 The Italian Pharmacological Society.
