[The Therapeutic Potency of Natural Products against Heart Failure].

Chronic heart failure is the final stage of such heart diseases as hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarction. Since the incidence of heart failure has increased in recent decades, heart failure is now a major public health problem in developed countries, including Japan. Recently, some studies have demonstrated that natural products, used as nutritional supplements, play an important role in preventing the development of heart failure in animal studies. In our previous study, we showed that curcumin, a natural polyphenol compound derived from Curcuma longa, exhibits therapeutic potency against heart failure. To establish the pharmacological therapeutic value of curcumin in heart failure, we have investigated the translational research of curcumin. This report reviews our basic studies and clinical trials using curcumin therapeutically to prevent heart failure, as well as the possibility of clinical applications of curcumin.