According to a new study by the University of California, a compound found in turmeric called Curcumin helps grow engineered blood vessels and tissues. The findings of the study were published in the journal, 'ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces'. The study indicated that a finding by UC Riverside bioengineers could hasten the development of lab-grown blood vessels and other tissues to replace and regenerate damaged tissues in human patients. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is known to suppress angiogenesis in malignant tumours. The magnetic hydrogels embedded with curcumin-coated nanoparticles promote the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factors. Curcumin's possible use for vascular regeneration has been suspected for some time but has not been well studied. Huinan Liu, a bioengineering professor in UCR's Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, led a project to investigate curcumin's regenerative properties by coating magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with the compound and mixing them into a biocompatible hydrogel.