Nanocurcumin supplementation improves pulmonary function in severe COPD patients: A randomized, double blind, and...

Considering the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of nano-curcumin on respiratory indices and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients as a common pulmonary disease causing restricted airflow and breathing problems. In the current double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial study, 60 patients with stages 3 and 4 COPD were randomly assigned into 80 mg nano-curcumin (n = 30) and placebo groups (n = 30) for 3 months. The effect of nano-curcumin on pulmonary function was evaluated by the first second of forced expiration (FEV1) to the full, forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio. IL-6 serum level, blood pressure, and anthropometric indices were also measured. Nano-curcumin supplementation led to a significant decrease in IL-6 level (p < 0.001) and an increase in FEV1 (p < 0.001), FVC (p = 0.003), and FEV1/FVC (p < 0.001) compared to placebo at the endpoint. Nano-curcumin had a significantly increasing effect on weight and body mass index compared to the placebo group (P_{ANCOVA adjusted for baseline values}  = 0.042). There was a meaningful improvement in systolic blood pressure in the nano-curcumin group compared to the placebo group (P_{ANCOVA adjusted for baseline values}  = 0.026). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and diastolic blood pressure (P_{ANCOVA adjusted for baseline values} >0.05). Nano-curcumin supplement seems to have favorable effects on inflammation status and respiratory indices of patients with severe COPD.