Curcumin nanoparticles are a promising anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent for treating periprosthetic joint infections

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) have a high incidence of recurrence after total joint replacement and are difficult to treat by debridement or antibiotic treatment. Curcumin is a natural product with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. The low bioactivity of curcumin in water restricts its clinical application. Curcumin nanoparticles (CURN) were developed to overcome this limitation. METHODS: In this study, the therapeutic effects of CURN and their anti-inflammatory functions were investigated in a Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-induced PJIs model. RESULTS: CURN first attenuated the biofilm-induced expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and then regulated M1- and M2-phenotypic MDSC expression. Down-regulation of cytokines and reactive oxygen species was considered as the mechanism of CURN in reversing the suppression of T cell proliferation. The recovery of bone permeative destruction demonstrated that CURN enhanced therapeutic potency of vancomycin in vivo. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate that CURN may be useful for treating PJIs.