Author(s): Naveenchandra, Vishwanatha U, Kiran Khatau and Sanjay Tamoli

Abstract: Curcuma longa (Turmeric) is well known for its immunity boosting and antimicrobial activities. There is a need for water soluble/miscible Curcuma longa extract are gaining popularity for better bioavailability and therapeutic activity. The present study evaluated the cytotoxic and phagocytic activity of AQUATURM^® (a water-soluble extract of Curcuma longa) in mouse macrophages RAW 264.7 cell lines. Phagocytic activity was evaluated by observing the amount of engulfed zymosans (absorbance at 405 nm) isolated from yeasts. The study demonstrated that AQUATURM^® significantly enhanced the phagocytic activity of macrophages compared to vehicle treated/control group at non-toxic concentration of 1.5 μg/mL. The observations made in the present study confirms that Curcuma longa extract- AQUATURM^® stimulates macrophages and enhances their phagocytic activity and therefore, may have potential enhancing effects on innate immunity. The results corroborate observations of previous studies on Curcuma longa species, which could help in augmenting the immune response against foreign antigens or disease-causing pathogens.