Short-term curcumin supplementation enhances serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adult men and women: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Co-Administration of Iron and a Bioavailable Curcumin Supplement Increases Serum BDNF Levels in Healthy Adults

“…There are various mechanistic pathways via which curcumin expresses its neuroprotective properties. The increase in serum BDNF observed following FS18+Curc treatment is supportive of previous studies, which have shown curcumin to increase BDNF synthesis by increasing cAMP levels and activating extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), which are known to induce nuclear translocation of transcription factors, such as ETS-like protein-1 (Elk-1), activator protein 1(AP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF K B) [52,87]. However, as there was an absence of a curcumin-only group in the current study, it cannot be confirmed that the observed increase in serum BDNF is solely a result of curcumin and not the result of synergic effects of the co-administration of iron and formulated curcumin supplementation.…”

“…These findings indicate that increased BDNF levels could help to improve cognitive function. Iron supplementation in mice [32] and formulated curcumin supplementation in humans have been shown to independently increase BDNF levels [52], indicating that the combination of these two supplements could possibly express an additive effect on serum BDNF levels. The current study therefore aimed to examine the effects of iron supplement dose in the presence or absence of formulated curcumin on BDNF levels in a healthy adult population aged 18 to 40 years.…”

“…It acts as a free-radical chain breaker, capable of donating hydrogen to ROS due to the presence of a hydroxyl group in its structure [51]. Furthermore, studies examining the neuroprotective properties of curcumin have shown that it has potential as a treatment for neurological disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorders and neurodegenerative diseases [44,52]. Since curcumin is lipophilic in nature, it is assumed to be able to cross the BBB [53].…”

“…As iron and curcumin have both been independently associated with BDNF homeostasis in animal and cellular models [33][34][35][36]52], there is scope to further investigate their co-administration. The aim of this 6-week, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to examine the effects of oral iron supplementation at low (18 mg) versus high (65 mg) ferrous iron dosages, either alone or co-administered with curcumin (500 mg) supplementation on serum BDNF levels in healthy adults.…”

Effects of nutritional interventions on BDNF concentrations in humans: a systematic review

“…This pathway could be the mechanism of action of ellagic acid which showed an effect on BDNF concentrations, at least in overweight subjects [40]. Both the Akt and CREB pathway are stimulated by curcumin [72], resulting in an expected increase in BDNF concentration as observed in depressed subjects in the study by Yu et al [42] and a trend to an increase in metabolic syndrome subjects in the study by Osali et al [41]. Despite several studies highlighting the positive effect of resveratrol supplementation on cognitive improvement [73], it does not seem to be mediated via elevated BDNF concentrations [38,39].…”