The effects of curcumin supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function: A meta-analysis of meta-analyses

Abstract

Numerous interventional studies have revealed the beneficial impact of curcumin supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function biomarkers, but the findings are still inconsistent. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function biomarkers. A meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials was performed by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science up to March 31, 2024. Pooled estimates of 21 meta-analyses revealed that curcumin significantly reduced CRP (weighted mean difference (WMD) = −0.87; 95 % CI: - 1.14, - 0.59, P< 0.001), tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (WMD = −2.72; 95 % CI: −4.05, −1.38; P< 0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (WMD = −0.97, 95 % CI: −1.40, −0.54; P< 0.001), malondialdehyde (MDA) (Effect size (ES) = −0.81; 95 % CI: −1.39, −0.23, P = 0.006) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) (WMD = −45.60; 95 % CI: −88.16, −3.04, P = 0.036), and increased flow-mediated dilation (FMD) (WMD = 1.64, 95 % CI: 1.06, 2.22, P < 0.001), catalase (CAT) (WMD = 10.26; 95 % CI: 0.92, 19.61, P= 0.03), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (WMD = 8.90; 95 % CI: 6.62, 11.19, P <0.001), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels (WMD = 20.51; 95 % CI: 7.35, 33.67, P= 0.002 and SMD = 0.82; 95 % CI: 0.27, 1.38, P= 0.004). However, curcumin did not significantly change total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (ES = 0.29; 95 % CI: −0.09, 0.66, P= 0.059). These results suggest that curcumin has a beneficial effect on CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, SOD, GPx, CAT, MDA, PWV, and FMD levels and may be an effective adjunctive therapy for improving inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function. Registration number: PROSPERO, CRD42024539018.