curcumin and Macular-Edema

The purpose of this open-label study was to investigate the effect of a curcumin-phospholipid lecithin formulation (Meriva®) on visual acuity and optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal thickness in patients with chronic diabetic macular edema.. Curcumin-phospholipid lecithin formulation (Meriva®, Indena S.p.A, Milan, Italy) was administered as tablets (Norflo®, Eye Pharma, Genoa, Italy) twice a day. Visual acuity and macular edema as measured by OCT before and after curcumin-phospholipid formulation treatment were assessed.. The study included 12 eyes from 11 patients who completed at least a 3-month follow-up period. After 3 months of therapy, no eyes showed reduction in visual acuity, 16% showed stabilization, and 84% showed improvement. The improvement was statistically significant (p = 0.0072). After 3 months of therapy, 92% of eyes showed reduction of macula edema, 8% showed stabilization, and 0% showed an increase (p = 0.009).. Our results, albeit preliminary, suggest that a curcumin-phospholipid formulation (Meriva®), administered as Norflo® tablets, may be feasible in the improvement of visual acuity and reduction of macular edema in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged; Curcumin; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Drug Compounding; Female; Humans; Macular Edema; Male; Middle Aged; Phospholipids; Pilot Projects; Retina; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity

Oral supplementation with curcumin demonstrated a beneficial effect on some ocular diseases, including uveitis and macular edema. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a curcumin formulation with the hydrophilic carrier (CHC; Diabec®, Alfa Intes, Italy) as an adjuvant to standard steroid treatment in adults suffering from acute non-infectious uveitic macular edema (NIUME).. This was a monocenter prospective observational study carried out between January 2019 and May 2020 on consecutive patients with a new diagnosis of NIUME. Patients were treated with standard therapy or with a CHC add-on to standard treatment. The observation period for each patient was 12 months. The Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) and the Central Macular Thickness (CMT) were the primary outcomes; Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were also assessed, along with safety data.. A total of 43 eyes of 26 patients were analyzed. CHC-treated eyes showed an improvement in mean BCVA from baseline (0.34 logMar) to T6 (0.20 logMar) and T12 (0.19 logMar; p≤0.05 and p≤0.01, respectively); CMT decreased from a mean of 320 μm (T0) to 278 μm (T6; p≤0.05) and 272 μm (T12; p≤0.01). A significant improvement of mean BCVA in the CHC group at T6 and T12 was reported compared to the control group (p≤0.01). FAZ and IOP showed no statistically significant variations in both groups. No adverse events were recorded.. CHC as an adjuvant treatment improved the anatomical and functional outcomes, without significant side effects in eyes affected by the recent onset of NIUME, compared to the sole standard therapy.

Topics: Adult; Curcumin; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Intravitreal Injections; Macular Edema; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Treatment Outcome; Uveitis; Visual Acuity

Background: To investigate the effects of a fixed combination of Curcumin (200 mg), Artemisia (80 mg), Bromelain (80 mg), and Black pepper (2 mg) on vascular parameters in mild to moderate diabetic macular edema (DME). Design: Prospective, case-control study. Methods: Fifty-six patients affected by diabetes mellitus type II were enrolled in the study. Twenty-eight patients with DME received 2 tablets/day, before meals of a dietary complementary supplement containing in fixed combination Curcumin (200 mg), Artemisia (80 mg), Bromelain (80 mg), and Black pepper (2 mg) (Intravit®, OFFHEALTH Spa, Firenze, Italy) for 6 months. Twenty-eight age-matched subjects affected by diabetes mellitus type II were given placebo and served as control group. Patients underwent best correct visual acuity (BCVA), swept optical coherence tomography (OCT), and OCT-Angiography (OCTA). OCTA images of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were obtained for each eye. By the end of the follow-up patients were defined responder to the therapy when a decrease of more than 30 μm was registered in central retinal thickness (CRT) measurement, while a poor responder was determined by the absence of reduction or an increase in central retinal thickness at 6 months. We assessed the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, vessel density and quantified the number of microaneurysms in each layer. Results: A significant improvement of BCVA and CRT reduction was recorded at 6 months follow-up in the dietary complementary supplementation group compared to control (respectively p = 0.028 and p = 0.0003). VD of the total capillary plexus, microaneurysms count, glycaemia and HbA1c did not vary over the follow-up period between groups. Within the Intravit® group, poor responders tended to show a larger FAZ area, more microaneurysms, and a lower VD in the DCP compared to the good responders group (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A fixed combination of Curcumin, Artemisia, Bromelain, and Black pepper oral administration may have a positive impact on central retinal thickness, visual acuity, and VD of the DCP in compensated type 2 diabetic patients with mild DME.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Artemisia; Bromelains; Case-Control Studies; Curcumin; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetic Retinopathy; Fluorescein Angiography; Humans; Macular Edema; Microaneurysm; Piper nigrum; Prospective Studies; Retinal Vessels; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence