Effectiveness of curcuminoids in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized clinical trials

Abstract

Aim: To critically appraise and evaluate the evidence for effectiveness of curcuminoids in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) in adults. Methods:We conducted electronic searches in Medline, Embase, AMED, Cinahl and the Cochrane library. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effectiveness of orally-administered curcuminoids in OA in adults, and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias criteria. We used a random-effect model for meta-analysis. Results:We included seven studies with a total of 797 participants with primarily knee OA. All studies were conducted in Asia. The overall risk of bias was moderate. Compared with placebo, curcuminoids significantly reduced knee pain (visual analogue scale): (standardized mean difference: À3.45; 95% CI: À5.52 to À1.38; I 2 = 95% P = 0.001), and improved quality of life (Lequesne pain-function index): (mean difference: À2.69; 95% CI: À3.48 to À1.90; I 2 = 0% P < 0.00001). There were significantly fewer effects on pain relief, knee stiffness and physical function with curcuminoids compared with ibuprofen. Significant improvements in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index total scores, with significant reductions in the use of rescue medication were also observed with curcuminoids. No serious adverse events were reported.Conclusions: Curcuminoids may have some beneficial effects on knee pain and quality of life in patients with knee OA. However, they are less effective at relieving pain compared with ibuprofen. Curcuminoids appear safe on the short-term, and may reduce the need for rescue medication. Published RCTs vary in reporting quality, are characterized by small sample sizes, and have all been conducted in Asia. Further clinical trials are therefore warranted.

Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review

“…A growing number of studies indicates that curcumin is beneficial in pain relief as osteoarthritis [64,65], spinal cord injury, diabetic neuropathy, sciatic nerve injury, chemotherapy induced peripheral neuro-inflammation [66] and migraine [67]. However, nearly all studies involving pain management have been conducted with unformulated curcumin or formulated products that offer some increased bioavailability but are not highly bioavailable.…”

Effect of curcumin nanomicelle on the clinical symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double‐blind, controlled trial

“…It seems that 3 major curcuminoids are responsible for this antiarthritic effect . Curcuminoids were useful in control of painful knee osteoarthritis, but, they were not effective as well as ibuprofen in relieving pain in patients . Curcumin, as one of the curcuminoids, is a hydrophobic polyphenol and major yellow pigment derived from turmeric .…”

“…8 Curcuminoids were useful in control of painful knee osteoarthritis, but, they were not effective as well as ibuprofen in relieving pain in patients. 9 Curcumin, as one of the curcuminoids, is a hydrophobic polyphenol and major yellow pigment derived from turmeric. 10 Until now, more than 100 clinical trials have been conducted on the effect of curcumin on different chronic diseases and this substance has been found effective and well-tolerated.…”

Curcumin reduces inflammation in knee osteoarthritis rats through blocking TLR4 /MyD88/NF‐κB signal pathway

“…Curcumin has been widely used in the treatment of many diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, tumors, and so forth (Kerkhof et al, 2011;Mabey & Honsawek, 2015;Panda, Chakraborty, Sarkar, Khan, & Sa, 2017;Qin et al, 2017;Thota, Acharya, Abbott, & Garg, 2016). Several researches suggested that curcumin has protective effects on OA, mainly due to its antioxidant, antiinflammatory effects (Henrotin, Priem, & Mobasheri, 2013;Onakpoya, Spencer, Perera, & Heneghan, 2017). However, whether curcumin has an anti-inflammatory effect on osteoarthritis and which signaling pathway is involved in this process is unknown.…”