The Effects of Curcumin against the Inflammatory Response in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: The human inflammatory response plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. An increase in the inflammatory responses notable by the levels of highly sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) may be able to predict future cardiovascular events and the prognosis of post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In animal experiments and human in-vitro experiments, curcumin has been proved to have anti-inflammatory effects. The effect of curcumin against the inflammatory response in ACS has not been identified. This study observes the effects of curcumin against the human inflammatory responses in patients with ACS. Methods: This multicenter double-blinded placebo controlled randomized trial was located at the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Persahabatan General Hospital and MMC Hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. 75 ACS patients were randomized into four groups, with the three intervention group (group I-III) consisting of 15 patients and 30 patients in the placebo group (IV). The participants of this study was randomly allocated curcumin in three different doses, group I was provided 15 mg t.i.d, group II was provided 30 mg t.i.d., group III was provided 60 mg t.i.d, and group IV was provided placebo. Results: In this study, we discovered that group I experienced a significant decrease in the level of hsCRP compared to placebo during the first month (p=0.04). Curcumin in low doses proved to be most effective in reducing the hsCRP levels, rather than moderateor high doses. Moderate-dose curcumin was in second place, followed by high-dose curcumin. Conclusion: The use of low-dose curcumin in AC patients has significantly reduced the level of hsCRP after one week of use. *Corresponding author: Dr. Idrus Alwi, Cardiology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central Referral General Hospital, Jl. Diponegoro No. 71, Senen, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia-10430, Tel: 0811827144; E-mail: [email protected] Received June 02, 2016; Accepted June 13, 2016; Published June 17, 2016 Citation: Alwi I, Santoso T, Suyono S, Sutrisna B, Suyatna FD, et al. (2016) The Effects of Curcumin against the Inflammatory Response in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Cardiovasc Pharm Open Access 5: 185. doi:10.4172/23296607.1000185 Copyright: © 2016 Alwi I, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. protein maybe found in the heart, coupled with its complements during an acute myocardial infarction [10] and acute coronary syndrome [11]. It may also affect the onset pattern of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) [12]. In stable and unstable angina pectoris [7] and AMI [13], increased levels of hsCRP is a risk factor for cardiac events and is a predictor of restenosis after stenting [14,15]. Other studies has demonstrated that hsCRP may activate the complements that plays a role in worsening the inflammatory process [16]. Efforts to reduce the inflammatory response has been attempted, such as using aspirin [17] or antihyperlipidemia drugs, the statins [18,19]. Although aspirin and statins are the standard treatment for patients with ACS and are able to reduce inflammation, but the C a r d i o v a sc ul ar Pha ogy: Open A c c e s s ISSN: 2329-6607