Oral curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: a multicentre randomized controlled trial

Canadian Medical Association Journal

Oct 2018

DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.180510

Citations:34

Influential Citations:1

Interventional (Human) Studies

COI

Enhanced Details

Methods

606 patients from 10 hospitals in Canada scheduled for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were randomized to receive either curcumin or placebo. Primary outcomes included biomarkers indicating kidney injury and inflammation.

Intervention

This multicentre randomized controlled trial examined the effects of perioperative oral curcumin on inflammatory responses and complications after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Results

Curcumin did not show any beneficial effects on the primary biomarkers compared to placebo. However, a higher incidence of acute kidney injury was observed in the curcumin group. No differences in hospital stay length or clinical events were noted.

Limitations

The study highlighted the need for rigorous testing of curcumin's health benefits, suggesting that results may differ based on dosage and formulation.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Curcumin, a popular herbal supplement from the plant turmeric, has prevented ischemic reperfusion and toxin-induced injury in many animal studies and a single-centre randomized human trial. We sought to test whether perioperative oral curcumin (compared with placebo) affects the inflammatory response and risk of postrepair complications after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in humans. METHODS: We conducted a parallel-group, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patients from 10 hospitals in Canada who were scheduled to undergo elective repair of an unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (November 2011 to November 2014). Patients in the treatment group received perioperative oral curcumin (2000-mg doses 8 times over 4 d). Patients, health care providers and local research staff were unaware of the treatment assignment. The primary outcomes were median concentrations of 4 bio markers indicating injury and inflammation (postoperative urine interleukin-18 and perioperative rise in serum creatinine, plasma N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide and plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in the 2 groups (606 patients overall; median age 76 yr). More than 85% of patients in each group took more than 80% of their scheduled capsules. Neither curcumin nor placebo significantly affected any of the 4 biomarkers (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). Regarding the secondary outcomes, there was a higher risk of acute kidney injury with curcumin than with placebo (17% v. 10%, p = 0.01), but no between-group difference in the median length of hospital stay (5 v. 5 days, p > 0.9) or the risk of clinical events (9% v. 9%, p = 0.9). INTERPRETATION: Curcumin had no beneficial effects when used in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. These findings emphasize the importance of testing turmeric and curcumin before espousing their health benefits, as is currently done in the popular media. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT01225094. show less