Effect and Mechanism of Curcumin on Bone Loss and Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review

Background: Curcumin has been used in various diseases due to its potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Objective: This systematic review aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of curcumin on bone loss and osteoporosis. Methods: Those human cell line and clinical trial studies indexed in three databases, including PubMed, Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), and Scopus, were included in the review. Records with non-English language articles, full texts not retrieved, and studies that were not relevant to the purpose of our study were excluded. Finally, after evaluating all available records, 11 articles were included. Results: Curcumin induces antiosteoporotic properties by inhibiting the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radical scavenging activity. Curcumin, through blocking nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ΚB) transmission to the nucleus, can suppress the production pathways of inflammatory cytokine production. Moreover, the biological mechanism of curcumin is a complex process associated with the modulation of transcription factors, protein kinases, and antiapoptotic proteins. Conclusion: The results of most clinical trials and human cell-based studies support the desirable impact of curcumin on bone loss and osteoporosis. Further clinical studies are needed to derive more reliable results about the prophylactic and therapeutic properties of curcumin on osteoporosis.