The protective role of curcumin in myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a well-known pathological condition that is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. The main pathological manifestation of CAD is myocardial injury due to ischemia-reperfusion (I-R). Currently, no efficacious treatment of protecting the heart against myocardial I-R exists. Hence, it is necessary to discover or develop novel strategies to prevent myocardial-reperfusion injury to improve clinical outcomes in patients with CAD. A large body of experimental evidence supports cardioprotective properties of curcumin and the ability of this phytochemical to modify some cardiovascular risk factors. However, the detailed effects of curcumin in myocardial I-R injury are still unclear and there is a lack of evidence concerning which curcumin regimen may be ideal for myocardial I-R injury. This paper presents a brief review of the pathophysiology of myocardial I-R injury and the mechanisms of action of curcumin in reducing myocardial I-R injury.