The effects of nanocurcumin supplementation on inflammation in hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction Serum levels of several pro‐inflammatory cytokines are higher in hemodialysis patients compared to healthy people. Curcumin has been shown to be able to decrease cytokines levels in nonuremic subjects. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of nanocurcumin administration on cytokines levels in hemodialysis patients. Methods The study was performed over a 3 months period on 54 hemodialysis patients who had been randomized to receive either nanocurcumin or placebo. Serum levels and gene expressions of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) were evaluated using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Findings Serum levels of IL‐6 and TNF‐α were similar in the two groups at baseline but were lower after 12 weeks of treatment with nanocurcumin compared to placebo (P = 0.024 for IL‐6 and 0.02 for TNF). In the group given nanocurcumin, serum levels of both cytokines decreased substantially (P