Three months of combination therapy with nano-curcumin reduces the inflammation and lipoprotein (a) in type 2 diabetic patients with mild to moderate coronary artery disease: Evidence of a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. Systemic inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)) and lipid metabolism disruption (lipoprotein A, LipoPr (a)) play a critical role in developing and progressing atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome in diabetic patients. The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin have been emphasized previously. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the impact of nano-curcumin on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients with mild to moderate coronary artery disease (CAD). We performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial with type 2 diabetic patients (n = 64), and mild to moderate CAD (<70% stenosis in angiography). The patients received nano-curcumin (80 mg/day) or placebo along with optimal medications for 90 days. The biofactors, including hs-CRP and LipoPr (a), and lipid profile, were measured at the admission of patients and end of the study. Nano-curcumin significantly mitigated the hs-CRP and LipoPr (a) levels following 90 days of treatment (P < 0.001 and P = 0.043, respectively). In addition, the mean percentage of change (%Delta) in the hs-CRP and LipoPr (a) levels were meaningfully reduced in the nano-curcumin group compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively). Surprisingly, nano-curcumin notably propagated the number of patients with mild (34.35%) and moderate (62.5%) hs-CRP level category and strikingly diminished the number of patients with severe hs-CRP level category (3.125%) compared to the placebo group (P = 0.016). Nano-curcumin (80 mg/day) might prevent atherosclerosis progression and, in terms of attenuating hs-CRP levels as an inflammation index, succedent cardiovascular events in diabetic heart patients.