Nano-curcumin supplementation promising for treating ICU patients with sepsis: Study
Iran: Nano-curcumin (NC) supplementation is a promising treatment strategy for critically ill patients with sepsis, a recent study in Food and Function has found. However, further studies are needed to investigate the effects of nano-curcumin on biochemical pathways involved in sepsis.
Sepsis is a severe reaction and excessive immune response to infection, which can result in organ dysfunction and death. Arash Karimi, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, and colleagues aimed to examine the protective effect of NC on endothelial function, inflammatory biomarkers, biochemical factors, oxidative stress indices, clinical outcomes, and nutritional status in sepsis patients in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.
The trial included 40 ICU-admitted patients. They were randomly allocated into either NC or placebo groups for 10 days. The administration of both nano-curcumin (160 mg) and placebo via nasogastric tube was done twice a day.
The mRNA expression of nuclear-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), BCL2 associated X (BAX), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and the serum levels of primary, secondary, tertiary, and exploratory outcomes were assessed before the baseline and on days 5 and 10.
Based on the study, the researchers reported the following:
- There were significant improvements in the primary outcomes, including inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-18, IL-1β, IL-10, TLR-4, BCL-2, and BAX), markers of endothelial function (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1), and oxidative stress indices (malondialdehyde (MDA), nuclear-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and TAC) in the NC group compared to the placebo group after 10 days, while no significant increase was observed in the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level between the two groups.
- No significant decrease, however, was observed in the levels of secondary outcomes, including biochemical factors (creatinine, fasting blood sugar (FBS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin, triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC)) (P > 0.05).
- The results showed that there was no significant increase in the tertiary outcome (nutritional status) except for TLC.
- NC supplementation also resulted in a significant decrease in the exploratory outcomes including the SOFA score and the duration of mechanical ventilation.
"NC supplementation may be a promising treatment strategy for critically ill patients with sepsis," the researchers wrote. "However, further experiments are suggested to examine the effects of nano-curcumin on biochemical pathways involved in sepsis."
Reference:
Karimi, Arash, et al. "Nano-curcumin Supplementation in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: a Randomized Clinical Trial Investigating the Inflammatory Biomarkers, Oxidative Stress Indices, Endothelial Function, Clinical Outcomes and Nutritional Status." Food & Function, 2022.
