earticle

영어

Medicinal plants are a notable source of natural products which are of great importance for clinical purposes, including the development of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry and the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Hypertension, or high blood pressure (BP), is among the most prominent modifiable risk factors of CVD—a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health spending worldwide. Despite a plethora of synthetic treatment options, lower treatment targets have been pushed for hypertension management as synthetic treatments pose many risks to adverse effects. In this review, studies from 2006 to 2022 were used to evaluate the efficacy of a widely-used natural product in Asia, curcumin derived from Curcuma longa L., in regulating BP. Its potential in CVD treatment has been illustrated in several research studies through identifying its cardiovascular protective properties. Curcumin was reported to be able to prevent hypertension and vascular remodeling, protect against vascular dysfunction, regulate AT1R expression, and alleviate oxidative stress, among others. Because of the importance of a healthy vascular endothelium and renin-angiotensin system in regulating arterial BP, curcumin’s demonstrated outcomes in these areas suggest its potential in regulating BP. However, more formal clinical studies must be done to further verify its cardiovascular protective properties.