Table 7.
Effects of curcumin on neuropathic pain and postoperative pain of clinical studies.
| Participants and Study Design | Dose and Duration | Effects | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain-Related | Other/Cardiometabolic | |||
| Diabetic Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy (DSPN) | ||||
| Patients with T2D (n = 80); RCT (placebo-controlled and double-blind) |
Nano curcumin (72% curcumin, 80 mg) or placebo capsules/day for eight weeks | ↓ Score of total neuropathies, reflex score, and temperature in curcumin vs. placebo | ↓ HbA1c and FBS in curcumin vs. placebo | [211] |
| Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) | ||||
| Patients undergoing cancer chemo- and radiotherapy (n = 160); RCT (placebo-controlled and double-blind) |
Lecithinized curcumin (Meriva: 500 mg) or placebo for 60 days from first cycle of chemo- or radiotherapy | ↓ Local pain rating based on VAS due to radiotherapy in curcumin vs. placebo group | ↓ Chemotherapy side effects in curcumin vs. placebo group | [212] |
| Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) | ||||
| Patients with chronic PN and lumbar disc herniation and/or lumbar canal stenosis or carpal tunnel syndrome; (n = 135); RCT, open |
Three formulations as follows: (1) Dex (800 mg) + Lipicur [lipoic acid (800 mg) + curcumin phytosome (800 mg) + piperine (8 mg)]; (2) Dex + lipoic acid (800 mg) and (3) Dex only (800 mg) capsules/day for eight weeks | ↓ Neuropathic pain in patients with lumbar sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome in Lipicur group vs. others | ↓ Use of Dex in the Lipicur group vs. others | [215] |
| Postoperative Pain | ||||
| Patients undergoing oral surgery for periodontitis (n = 15); RCT (placebo-controlled) |
Curcumin mucoadhesive film (0.5% extract) or placebo mucoadhesive film placed on gingiva after surgery for seven days | ↓ Pain score rating and swelling in curcumin vs. placebo group | ↓ Use of oral analgesics in postoperative period in curcumin vs. placebo group | [210] |
| Patients following laparoscopic gynecologic surgery (n = 60); RCT, open |
Curcuminoids extract (1000 mg) or standard analgesia on postoperative days one to three | ↓ VAS pain scores following surgery in curcumin vs. standard group | N/A | [214] |
| Patients undergoing oral surgery for impacted third molars (n = 90); RCT (placebo-controlled) |
Curcumin (200 mg) + amoxicillin (500 mg) or control (amoxicillin 500 mg + 500 mg mefenamic acid) three times for 24 h | ↓ Pain score rating in curcumin vs. placebo group | N/A | [213] |
| Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 50); RCT (placebo-controlled and double-blind) |
Curcumin (500 mg) or placebo once every six hours/day for three weeks | ↓ Pain score rating in curcumin vs. placebo group | ↓ Fatigue score and the use of oral analgesics in postoperative period in curcumin vs. placebo group | [209] |
↓ = Decrease/lower; CIPN = chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; Dex = dexibuprofen; DSPN = diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy; FBS = fasting blood glucose; HbA1c = glycated hemoglobin; N/A = not applicable; PN = peripheral neuropathy; RCT = randomized controlled trial; T2D = type 2 diabetes; VAS = visual analog scale.