Abstract
The present review summarizes the available knowledge concerning the action of curcumin,
the best-known polyphenol among the rhizomes of Curcumas, on female reproductive processes
and their dysfunctions. Curcumin affects a number of physiological processes, including
female reproduction (puberty, reproductive aging, ovarian follicullogenesis and oogenesis,
and fecundity). Curcumin can affect these processes via changes in the release and
reception of pituitary and ovarian hormones, growth factors and cytokines. Furthermore,
it can influence the response of ovarian cells to these substances and external environmental
factors. Finally, curcumin can affect oxidative processes within the ovary and numerous
intracellular signalling pathways related to ovarian cell proliferation and apoptosis.
These effects suggest the applicability of curcumin for stimulation of female reproductive
processes in vivo and in vitro, as well as for the prevention, mitigation, and
treatment of various reproductive disorders from ovarian insufficiency and infertility
to polycystic ovarian syndrome and ovarian cancer.
Key words
curcumin - turmeric - health - ovary - proliferation - apoptosis - hormone - fecundity
