Ricerc@Sapienza

Nutraceuticals represent complementary or alternative beneficial products to the expensive and high-tech therapeutic tools in modern medicine. Nowadays, their medical or health benefits in preventing or treating different types of diseases is widely accepted, due to fewer side effects than synthetic drugs, improved bioavailability and long half-life. Among herbal and natural compounds, curcumin is a very attractive herbal supplement considering its multipurpose properties.

The ?7 nicotinic receptor consists of identical subunits and is one of the most abundant acetylcholine receptor in the mammalian central nervous system. However its expression is also found in the peripheral nervous system as well as in the immune system and various peripheral tissues. It is involved in the regulation of several activities ranging from excitatory neurotransmission and the modulation of the release of several neurotransmitters, regulation of neurite outgrowth, and even neuronal survival/death.