Effect of curcumin on rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of curcumin in rheumatoid arthritis patients.MethodsA computerized search from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was performed until 3 March 2023. Literature screening, basic data extraction and risk of bias evaluation were independently performed by two researchers each. The quality evaluation of the literature was performed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Risk of Bias Assessment tool for treatment evaluation.ResultsThe current study includes six publications covering 539 rheumatoid arthritis patients. The activity of rheumatoid arthritis was assessed using erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), protein, disease activity score (DAS), rheumatoid factor (RF), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain, tender joint count (TJC) and swollen joint count (SJC). ESR (MD = -29.47, 95% CI [-54.05, -4.88], Z=2.35, P = 0.02), DAS28 (MD = -1.20, 95% CI [-1.85, -0.55], Z=3.62, P = 0.0003), SJC (MD = -5.33, 95% CI [-9.90, -0.76], Z = 2.29, P = 0.02) and TJC (MD = -6.33, 95% CI [-10.86, -1.81], Z = 2.74, P = 0.006) showed significantly change in experimental patients compared with controls.ConclusionCurcumin is beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Inflammation levels and clinical symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be improved by curcumin supplementation. Large sample randomized controlled trials on the effects of curcumin on patients with rheumatoid arthritis are needed in the future.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier (CRD42022361992).

Combination of Curcuminoids and Acupressure for Inflammation and Pain in Older People with Osteoarthritis Genu: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Curcuminoid is an active compound in turmeric that has natural anti-inflammatory properties. Result of meta-analysis conducted by Kou et all [19] showed that curcuminoid supplementation was effective in reducing clinical symptoms in the treatment of arthritis diseases. The use of curcuminoid supplementation in arthritis patients could reduce the possibility of unpleasant consequence.…”

Turmeric trends: analyzing consumer preferences and willingness to pay

“…Its efficacy, especially in treating human diseases related to metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, neuropsychiatric disorders, and gastrointestinal ailments, has been substantiated by eight systematic reviews and meta-analyses since 2020. These systematic analyses encompass over 400 research studies related to turmeric and turmeric-based products (Rolfe et al, 2020;Sharifi-Rad et al, 2020;Singletary, 2020;Paultre et al, 2021;Kou et al, 2023;Kunnumakkara et al, 2023;Lukkunaprasit et al, 2023;Panknin et al, 2023).…”

Immunomodulatory effects of curcumin on macrophage polarization in rheumatoid arthritis

“…More importantly, no significant side effects were observed in the patients in these studies. Accumulating systematic reviews have thoroughly analysed clinical trials that were carried out in recent years to evaluate the efficacy and safety of curcumin for the treatment of RA ( Zeng et al, 2022b ; a ; Kou et al, 2023 ; Long et al, 2023 ). A meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials covering 539 RA patients indicated that curcumin supplementation improved the ESR, CRP, DAS, RF, VAS, tender joint count and swollen joint count in these patients.…”

“…It has been extensively demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anticancer properties in both experimental and clinical studies ( Xu et al, 2018 ). Curcumin has shown strong therapeutic potential, especially in autoimmune diseases, such as RA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) ( Yang et al, 2019 ; Chamani et al, 2022 ; Kou et al, 2023 ). A large number of investigations have indicated that curcumin modulates macrophage polarization and function to alleviate inflammation and therefore can be used to treat inflammation-related diseases ( Gao et al, 2015 ; Karuppagounder et al, 2016 ; Abdollahi et al, 2023 ).…”