The use of synthetic drugs has increased over the recent years, but plant-based drugs are more suitable in terms of least side effects. Since ancient times mankind has been dependent on plants for the treatment of various ailments, among them widely used is curcumin, the principal polyphenol extracted from turmeric. Their medicinal and useful properties are mentioned in Indian Veda’s and Chinese medicine. Curcumin has been studied extensively for its pleiotropic activity, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activity. Accumulated evidence indicated curcumin plays an inhibitory role against infection of numerous viruses. These mechanisms involve either a direct interference of viral replication machinery or suppression of cellular signaling pathways essential for viral replication, such as PI3K/Akt, NF-κB. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge with a focus on the anti-viral effect of curcumin, and their possible molecular mechanisms.

近年来，合成药物的使用有所增加，但是基于植物的药物在副作用最小的方面更为合适。自古以来人类一直依靠植物来治疗各种疾病，其中广泛使用的是姜黄素，姜黄素是从姜黄中提取的主要多酚。在印度吠陀草和中药中都提到了它们的药用和有用特性。姜黄素的多效活性已被广泛研究，包括抗炎，抗氧化和抗肿瘤活性。越来越多的证据表明姜黄素对多种病毒的感染具有抑制作用。这些机制涉及病毒复制机制的直接干扰或对病毒复制必不可少的细胞信号通路（如PI3K / Akt，NF-κB）的抑制。