Efficacy of Nanocurcumin as an Add-On Treatment for Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Curcumin is a polyphenol derivative of the Curcuma longa rhizome, with potential antioxidant, anticancer, antidepressant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. This compound can be prepared as biodegradable polymer nanoparticles, called nanocurcumin, to improve its solubility, stability, half-life, and bioavailability. AIM: We explored nanocurcumin's effect on the clinical manifestations of patients hospitalized with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial involved 76 COVID-19 patients admitted to Ali-Asghar Hospital from December 2021 to March 2022. All patients received standard coronavirus treatment as per national guidelines. In addition, four times a day for two weeks, the curcumin group received 40 mg of nanocurcumin, while the control group received a placebo. Clinical manifestations were examined and recorded by the associate doctors working in the department. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS v. 21. RESULTS: Thirty-nine people from the control group and 29 from the curcumin group completed the study. At baseline, the groups were comparable in age, gender, body mass index, hospitalization duration, and background diseases. The mean age of patients in the control and treatment groups was 53.9 ± 11.9 and 54.6 ± 13.4, respectively. Compared with the placebo, nanocurcumin minimized coughs (P=0.036), fatigue (P=0.0001), myalgia (P=0.027), oxygen demand (P=0.036), oxygen usage (P=0.05), and respiratory rate (P < 0.0001). By discharge, the curcumin group had a significantly greater increase in SPO(2) than the control group (P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that nanocurcumin has a potentiating anti-inflammatory effect when combined with standard COVID-19 treatment, helping the recovery from the acute inflammatory phase of the disease in hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate disease severity. This trial is registered with Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT20211126053183N1 (registered while recruiting on 13/12/2021).