From Simple Mouth Cavities to Complex Oral Mucosal Disorders—Curcuminoids as a Promising Therapeutic Approach

Abstract

Oral diseases are among the most common encountered health issues worldwide, which are usually associated with anomalies of the oral cavity, jaws, and salivary glands. Despite the availability of numerous treatment modalities for oral disorders, a limited clinical response has been observed because of the inefficacy of the drugs and countless adverse side effects. Therefore, the development of safe, efficacious, and wide-spectrum therapeutics is imperative in the battle against oral diseases. Curcumin, extracted from the golden spice turmeric, is a well-known natural polyphenol that has been extensively studied for its broad pleiotropic attributes and its ability to modulate multiple biological processes. It is well-documented to target pro-inflammatory mediators like NF-κB, ROS, COX-2, IL-1, IL-2, TGF-β, growth factors, apoptotic proteins, receptors, and various kinases. These properties make curcumin a promising nutraceutical in the treatment of many oral diseases like oral submucous fibrosis, oral mucositis, oral leukoplakia, oral erythroplakia, oral candidiasis, aphthous stomatitis, oral lichen planus, dental caries, periodontitis, and gingivitis. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that curcumin alleviates the symptoms of most of the oral complications, including the inhibition of the progression of oral cancer. In this regard, many clinical trials have been completed, and many are ongoing to investigate the “curcumin effect” in oral maladies. Therefore, the current review delineates the mechanistic framework of curcumin’s propensity in curbing oral diseases and present outcomes of the clinical trials of curcumin-based therapeutics that can provide a breakthrough in the clinical management of these diseases.

Oroxylin A: A Promising Flavonoid for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases

“…It is well acknowledged that medicinal plants have immense potential for prophylaxis of multiple chronic diseases, including cancer [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. A mounting number of preclinical and clinical evidence suggest that natural compounds extracted from various plants are plausible candidates against a multitude of life-threatening chronic diseases and different formulations can be used to increase their bioavailabilities [ 2 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. OA is one such compound, which has gathered attention among scientific communities due to its remarkable multi-targeted properties in the prophylaxis and regimen of various non-communicable diseases.…”

Formulation and Characterization of Hydrophilic Ointment Bases with Carvacrol and Magnolol for Periodontal Application

“…A study by Bidault et al documented bacterial resistance to routine antibiotics (penicillin, cephalosporins, erythromycin, metronidazole) prescribed in treating oral infections [8]. These aspects support the continuous identification of alternative, natural phytotherapeutic drugs isolated from plants used in traditional medicine to replace synthetic chemicals [9,10]. Herbal extracts have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times.…”

Xanthohumol from Hop: Hope for cancer prevention and treatment

“…The research over the past several decades proved that a large number of phytochemicals from vegetables, herbs, fruits, and spices have the potential to exert numerous therapeutic effects against various human ailments, including cancer 28,36–46 . They are the roots of many traditional medicines due to their effective, multi‐targeted, and safety profiles 39,47–57 .…”