Comparison of remicade to curcumin for the treatment of Crohn's disease: A systematic review

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#anti-inflammatory-agents #colorectal-neoplasms #crohn-disease #curcuma #curcumin

Comparison of remicade to curcumin for the treatment of Crohn's disease: A systematic review

Schneider et al., 2017 | Complement Ther Med | Systematic Review

Citation

Schneider Allaire, Hossain Ivy, ... Nicol Kara. Comparison of remicade to curcumin for the treatment of Crohn's disease: A systematic review. Complement Ther Med. 2017-Aug;33:32-38. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2017.06.002

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the literature to assess if there is evidence to support the use of Curcumin as a safe complementary therapy in treating Crohn's Disease (CD) in conjunction with Remicade. DESIGN: Systematic searches were performed by three researchers using electronic databases (ProQuest Medical Library, CINAHL Complete, and PUBMED) to locate and identify articles to meet a predetermined set of inclusion criteria. Specifically full text, peer-reviewed articles published after 2007 were included if they studied human participants 18 years or older. RESULTS: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) levels increase in CD patients. Remicade reduces TNF-a in adults with CD. The issues are eventual loss of response (LOR) once IL-1 increases, and severe risks such as malignancy. CD patients using Curcumin saw a 55 point mean reduction in the Crohn's Disease Activity Index, reducing IL-1 and Crp. Plus it reduced TNF-a and PPMTase which improved colorectal cancer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: LOR of Remicade occurs when IL-1 increases, and it can cause malignancy. Research shows Curcumin reduces IL-1 and improves cancer outcomes. Future research, using both Remicade and Curcumin, would have to be done, but preliminary data would suggest using both would reduce LOR. Curcumin, even by itself, was found to be a cheap and safe way to reduce CD symptoms and inflammatory markers.

Key Findings

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) levels increase in CD patients. Remicade reduces TNF-a in adults with CD. The issues are eventual loss of response (LOR) once IL-1 increases, and severe risks such as malignancy. CD patients using Curcumin saw a 55 point mean reduction in the Crohn's Disease Activity Index, reducing IL-1 and Crp. Plus it reduced TNF-a and PPMTase which improved colorectal cancer outcomes.

Outcomes Measured

  • C-reactive protein
  • inflammatory markers

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Colorectal Neoplasms
  • Crohn Disease
  • Curcuma
  • Curcumin
  • Humans
  • Infliximab
  • Interleukin-1
  • Phytotherapy
  • Plant Extracts
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: curcumin

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09