Effects of curcumin on NF‐κB, AP‐1, and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract Curcumin is a yellow‐orange powder derived from the Curcuma longa plant. Curcumin has been used extensively in traditional medicine for centuries. This component is non‐toxic and shown different therapeutic properties such as anti‐inflammatory, anti‐cancer, antiviral, anti‐bacterial, anti‐fungal, anti‐parasites, and anti‐oxidant. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a small DNA member of the genus Orthohepadnavirus (Hepadnaviridae family) which is a highly contagious blood‐borne viral pathogen. HBV infection is a major public health problem with 2 billion people infected throughout the world and 350 million suffering from chronic HBV infection. Increasing evidence indicated that curcumin as a natural product could be employed in the treatment of HBV patients. It has been showed that curcumin exerts its therapeutic effects on HBV patients via targeting a variety of cellular and molecular pathways such as Wnt/β‐catenin, Ap1, STAT3, MAPK, and NF‐κB signaling. Here, we summarized the therapeutic effects of curcumin on patients who infected with HBV. Moreover, we highlighted main signaling pathways (eg, NF‐κB, AP1, and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling) which affected by curcumin in HBV infections.