curcumin and Diabetic-Angiopathies

In the present study, the improvement of diabetic microangiopathy and retinopathy was evaluated in 38 diabetic patients treated with a novel curcumin phospholipids delivery form (Meriva®).. Diabetes was diagnosed at least 5 years before inclusion and all patients had signs of retinal oedema and of peripheral microangiopathy. Meriva® was administered at the dosage of 2 tablets/day (each tablet containing 500 mg Meriva® corresponding to 100 mg curcumin) for a period of at least 4 weeks in addition to the standard management plan, while a comparable group of subjects (n = 39) followed the standard management plan alone.. All subjects (treatment and controls) completed the follow-up period, there were no dropouts and Meriva® showed an optimal tolerability. At 4 weeks, microcirculatory and clinical evaluations indicated an improvement of microangiopathy. In terms of peripheral microangiopathy, in the Meriva® group, there was a significant improvement in the venoarteriolar response (p<0.05) and a decrease in the score of peripheral oedema (p<0.05), a sign typically associated with the failure of the venoarteriolar response. At the retinal level, high-resolution, duplex scanning, used to measure retinal flow, showed improvements in the Meriva® treated patients. The evaluation of retinal oedema (Steigerwalt's scale) showed an improvement associated with improved visual acuity (Snellen scale). There were no clinical or microcirculatory effects in controls.. These preliminary observations, indicate the value of curcumin, when administered in a bioavailable form as with Meriva®, in the management of diabetic microangiopathy and retinopathy.

Topics: Curcumin; Diabetic Angiopathies; Diabetic Retinopathy; Drug Delivery Systems; Edema; Female; Humans; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; Lecithins; Male; Microcirculation; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Regional Blood Flow; Retina

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the improvement of diabetic microangiopathy in patients suffering from this condition since at least five years, and whose disease was managed without insulin.. Curcumin, the orange pigment of turmeric, has recently received increasing attention because of its antioxidant properties, mediated by both direct oxygen radical quenching and by induction of anti-oxidant responses via Nrf2 activation. This aspect, combined with the beneficial effects on endothelial function and on tissue and plasma inflammatory status, makes curcumin potentially useful for the management of diabetic microangiopathy. To further evaluate this, Meriva, a lecithinized formulation of curcumin, was administered at the dosage of two tablets/day (1 g Meriva/day) to 25 diabetic patients for four weeks. A comparable group of subjects followed the best possible management for this type of patients.. All subjects in the treatment and control group completed the follow-up period; there were no dropouts. In the treatment group, at four weeks, microcirculatory and clinical evaluations indicated a decrease in skin flux (P<0.05) at the surface of the foot, a finding diagnostic of an improvement in microangiopathy, the flux being generally increased in patients affected by diabetic microangiopathy. Also, a significant decrease in the edema score (P<0.05) and a corresponding improvement in the venoarteriolar response (P<0.05) were observed. The PO2 increased at four weeks (P<0.05), as expected from a better oxygen diffusion into the skin due to the decreased edema. These findings were present in all subjects using Meriva, while no clinical or microcirculatory effects were observed in the control group.. Meriva was, in general, well tolerated, and these preliminary findings suggest the usefulness of this curcumin formulation for the management of diabetic microangiopathy, opening a window of opportunities to be evaluated in more prolonged and larger studies. The molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of curcumin on microcirculation and edema are also worth investigation.

Topics: Aged; Curcumin; Diabetic Angiopathies; Edema; Female; Foot; Humans; Male; Microcirculation; Middle Aged; Phytotherapy; Pilot Projects

Electrospinning is emerging as a versatile technique nanofibers fabrication because due to their unique properties such as large surface area to volume ratio, porosity and maintaining moist wound environment, the nanofibers are able to deliver sustained drug release and oxygen to the wound for rapid healing of diabetic wound. The present work was aimed to prepare and evaluate silk fibroin-curcumin based nanofiber in combination with polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which helped to strengthen the wound healing properties of nanofiber. Silk fibroin is a naturally occurring polymer was selected one polymer for making nanofibrous mat due to its unique properties such as biodegradability, permeability, oxygen supply and maintain moisture content in the wound. SEM results showed diameters of fibers varied in the range between 200 and 350 nm and their tensile strength ranged from 12.41 to 16.80 MP. The nanofibers were causing sustained release of curcumin for many hours. The in-vivo wound healing studies in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice showed rapid wound healing efficacy as compared to conventional formulations. Furthermore, the histopathological studies evidenced its ability to restore the normal skin structure and histological conditions of tissues. The silk fibroin-based nanofiber wound dressing, therefore appears to be an ideal preparation, in combination with curcumin, because it blends the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. Therefore, it was concluded that the silk fibroin-based nanofiber loaded with curcumin has great healing potential in diabetic wound.

Topics: Animals; Bandages; Curcumin; Diabetic Angiopathies; Female; Fibroins; Mice; Nanofibers; Polyesters; Polyvinyl Alcohol; Wound Healing

Diabetes mellitus (DM) causes dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), resulting in impaired wound healing. EPC therapy is a potential substitute to the current treatments of chronic wounds. Because EPCs isolated from diabetic patients are dysfunctional and therefore pose an obstacle in their efficacious employment in autologous cell therapy, a strategy to rescue them prior to transplantation would be expected to improve the efficacy of autologous cell therapy multifold. Compromised reactive oxygen species scavenging ability being the main cause of EPC dysfunction (EPCD), reactive oxygen species scavengers are likely to reverse or rescue EPCD. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the potential of curcumin in reversing DM-induced EPCD. We found that in vitro treatment of bone marrow EPCs from diabetic mice (D-EPC) with curcumin restored their functionality, as judged by colony formation, tubule formation, and migration assays. Most importantly, autologous transplantation of curcumin-treated D-EPCs onto diabetic wounds also resulted in accelerated wound healing. Furthermore, curcumin-treated diabetic mice exhibited improved wound healing, as compared with their vehicle-treated diabetic counterparts, underscoring the efficacy of curcumin in vivo as well. The levels and activity of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in D-EPCs treated in vitro with curcumin or those isolated from curcumin-treated diabetic mice were comparable with those in non-diabetic EPCs. Addition of methyl mercury chloride to inhibit MnSOD activity during curcumin treatment abolished the salutary effects of curcumin. Our data demonstrate that curcumin reverses DM-induced EPCD by boosting MnSOD expression and activity and emphasizes its potential for use in autologous cell therapy for diabetic wound management.

Topics: Animals; Curcumin; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Diabetic Angiopathies; Endothelial Progenitor Cells; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Male; Mice; Superoxide Dismutase