Curcumin supplementation improves oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in patients undergoing hemodialysis: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Background and objectives Recent studies have shed light on the potential role of curcumin in mitigating inflammation in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin supplementation on plasma levels of markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods These are secondary exploratory analyses from a previous double-blind, randomized controlled pilot study registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT00123456. It included 28 hemodialysis patients from a previous study divided into two groups: curcumin group (receiving juice with 2.5 g of turmeric 3x/week for 12 weeks) and a control group. The TNF-alpha, IL-6 and Ox-LDL plasma levels were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassays ELISA; lipid peroxidation was measured by the reaction between malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiobarbituric acid. Results After 12 weeks of supplementation with curcumin, the TNF-alpha plasma levels were significantly reduced [from 15.0 (8.23-73.3) to 6.17 (1.11-55.0) pg/mL, p = 0.01]. Conclusion 12 weeks of treatment with curcumin in HD patients resulted in a reduction in the biomarker of inflammation (TNF-alpha), confirming our previous hypothesis that curcumin has an anti-inflammatory effect.