Atherosclerosis is a complex and long-lasting disorder characterized by chronic
inflammation of arteries that leads to the initiation and progression of
lipid-rich plaques, in which monocytes/macrophages play the central role in endothelial
inflammation and taking up these
lipids. Circulating monocytes can adopt a long-term proinflammatory phenotype leading to their atherogenic activities. During atherogenic condition, inflammatory monocytes adhere to the surface of the activated endothelial cells and then transmigrate across the endothelial monolayer into the intima, where they proliferate and differentiate into macrophages and take up the
lipoproteins, forming foam cells that derive
atherosclerosis progression. Therefore, modulating the atherogenic activities of inflammatory monocytes can provide a valuable therapeutic approach for
atherosclerosis prevention and treatment.
Curcumin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound with numerous pharmacological activities and shows protective effects against
atherosclerosis; however, underlying mechanisms are not clearly known yet. In the present review, on the basis of a growing body of evidence, we show that
curcumin can exert antiatherosclerotic effect through inhibiting the atherogenic properties of monocytes, including inflammatory
cytokine production, adhesion, and transendothelial migration, as well as intracellular
cholesterol accumulation.