Curcumin in Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial (C-COPD Trial)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) kills more than 3 million people worldwide every year. COPD is managed mainly by pharmacological therapy during the stable stage. Research illustrates many proven beneficial outcomes associated with the use of bronchodilators (beta-agonists and anticholinergics), inhaled and oral steroids to decrease the bronchial tree inflammation, some antibiotics, such as azithromycin, which have not only antibacterial but also some anti-inflammatory properties. However, these remedies have many limitations due to the development of adverse effects and resistance. Despite the treatment, symptoms related to COPD negatively affect patients' quality of life and limit their essential physical abilities, such as walking.

Although achievements have been made in the management of COPD, exacerbation (worsening or flare up) remains a leading cause for hospital admission. COPD exacerbation adversely affects patients' quality of and creates a significant financial burden on the healthcare system nationally and on a local level. Hospitals with excess readmission ratios for COPD are penalized financially by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In Danbury Hospital, about 15% of patients admitted for COPD exacerbation are readmitted within 30 days on average.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for continued development of maintenance drugs for the treatment of COPD. Aside from the ordinary accepted pharmacological therapy approved for treatment of this chronic respiratory illness, some alternatives have pharmacologic properties that may potentially target the pathophysiologic processes involved in COPD.

Curcumin, a well-known polyphenol, is an active component of a plant Curcuma longa, commonly known as turmeric. Turmeric has been used for centuries as a spice and has recently become a widely used dietary supplement. Curcumin is reported to have anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting NF-κB activation and IL-8,4,5 which are known to promote white blood cell activity and expression of COX-2 (enzyme responsible for production of inflammatory cytokines) involved in the pathophysiology of COPD. It has also been associated with the inhibition of cigarette smoke-induced NF-κB activation in bronchial epithelium in mice; in addition, it has been shown to revitalize steroid response in human cells.

The data on the effects of curcumin on inflammatory cytokines, as described above, has been derived from in vitro cell line and animal studies. While curcumin has been studied in humans for other inflammatory conditions (arthritis, gastrointestinal conditions, etc) to our knowledge, no human studies to explore its role in the management of COPD are available. As bronchial inflammation plays a key role in pathophysiology of COPD and curcumin has been shown to exhibit significant anti-inflammatory properties, we hypothesize that use of curcumin is associated with improvement in outcomes in patients with COPD.