Effect of curcumin on bone tissue in the diabetic rat: repair of peri-implant and critical-sized defects

This study determined the effect of curcumin on bone healing in animals with diabetes mellitus (DM). One hundred rats were divided into five groups: DM+PLAC, DM+CURC, DM+INS, DM+CURC+INS, and non-DM (CURC, curcumin; PLAC, placebo; INS, insulin). Critical calvarial defects were created and titanium implants were inserted into the tibiae. Calvarial defects were analyzed histometrically, and BMP-2, OPN, OPG, RANKL, Runx2, Osx, β-catenin, Lrp-5, and Dkk1 mRNA levels were quantified by PCR. The implants were removed for a torque evaluation, the peri-implant tissue was collected for mRNA quantification of the same bone-related markers, and the tibiae were submitted to micro-computed tomography. The DM+CURC+INS and non-DM groups exhibited greater closure of the calvaria when compared to the DM+PLAC group (P