Curcumin and Curcuma Longa Extract May Reduce Inflammatory Levels in Individuals with Arthritis

by | Oct 17, 2022 | 2022, Arthritis, Botanicals, Curcumin

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Findings of a systemic review and meta-analysis using 29 RCTs involving 2396 participants with 5 types of arthritis show that administration of curcumin and curcuma longa extract resulted in significant improvement in inflammatory markers and symptoms related to arthritis. 

joint health - painArthritis, a chronic condition referring to joint pain or joint disease, is the leading cause of disability in the US1. Arthritis has a high prevalence globally and includes over 100 types, the most common of which is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory arthritis2. These diseases share common features such as monocyte infiltration, synovial swelling, and osteochondral destruction via various extracellular and intracellular signals3. Individuals with high disease activity typically have impaired quality of life and activities of daily living4.

Curcuma longa, a rooted plant in the ginger family, has become a popular medicinal plant due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties5. Curcumin has been identified as a scavenger of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species6. Curcuma longa can suppress the effects of nuclear factor-kappa β (NF-ĸβ) and other inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-67. Curcumin administration has reported nearly no side effects, making it a potential alternative to NSAIDs and other medications with known severe adverse effects8.

Zeng et al. conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of Curcuma longa L. and curcumin in patients with arthritis. Inclusion criteria included participants with any type of diagnosed arthritis, the use of a curcumin intervention group, inclusion of efficacy indicators such as inflammatory markers and adverse events, and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study design. Final analysis of related papers resulted in the use of 29 RCTs in the review and meta-analysis. The included RCTs involved 5 types of arthritis: RA, OA, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and gout/hyperuricemia. Study sizes ranged from 20-200 participants, with use of curcumin, curcuminoids, and Curcuma longa Extract as the treatment groups.

Significant findings of the systemic review and meta-analysis of 29 RCTs is as follows:

  • In terms of changes in Disease Activity Score (DAS28), results of the meta-analysis show that there was a statistical difference between the experimental group and the control group (P<0.0001), which indicates that curcumin may decrease DAS28 [WMD -1.06 (-1.53, -0.59)].
  • Regarding the inflammatory indicator erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a statistical difference was observed between the experimental and control group (P<0.0001), which suggests that curcumin may decrease ESR [SMD -3.09 (-4.60, -1.58)].
  • Levels of CRP show a statistical difference between the experimental group and the control (P=0.0005), indicating that curcumin may decrease CRP [WMD -0.35 (-0.55, -0.15)].
  • Regarding oxidative stress outcomes, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) show that a statistical difference between the experimental group and the control group was noted (P=0.02), suggesting that curcumin may decrease MDA [WMD -2.06, (-3.80 to -0.32)].

Significant findings of the study show that supplementation with curcumin and curcuma longa extract may alleviate symptoms and inflammatory levels in people with arthritis. Further research using larger sample sizes and subject groups needs to be conducted to better understand the beneficial effects of curcumin and curcuma longa on symptoms and biomarkers related to arthritis. Study limitations include the low quality and small quantity of RCTs used in the meta-analysis and systemic review.

Source: Zeng, Liuting, Tiejun Yang, Kailin Yang, Ganpeng Yu, Jun Li, Wang Xiang, and Hua Chen. “Efficacy and safety of curcumin and curcuma longa extract in the treatment of arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.” Frontiers in immunology 13 (2022).

© 2022 Zeng, Yang, Yang, Yu, Li, Xiang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms

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Posted October 17, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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