AsianScientist (Aug. 12, 2011) – A derivative of a common culinary spice found in Indian curries could offer hope for sufferers of the painful condition tendinitis, a team of scientists have found.
In a paper published today in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers at The University of Nottingham and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich have shown that curcumin, which also gives the spice turmeric its trademark bright yellow coloring, can be used to suppress biological mechanisms that spark inflammation in tendon diseases.
“Our research is not suggesting that curry, turmeric or curcumin are cures for inflammatory conditions such as tendinitis and arthritis,” said Dr. Ali Mobasheri, who co-led the paper.
“However, we believe that it could offer scientists an important new lead in the treatment of these painful conditions through nutrition,” he said.
Tendons, the tough cords of fibrous connective tissue that join muscles to bones, are essential for movement because they transfer the force of muscle contraction to bones. However, they are prone to injury, particularly in athletes who may overstretch themselves and overuse their joints.
Tendinitis (or tendonitis) is a form of tendon inflammation, which causes pain and tenderness near to joints and is particularly common in shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, heels or wrists. Other examples of common tendon disease include tennis and golfer’s elbow and Achilles tendinitis.
The global incidence of tendinitis is on the increase in line with the rise in aging and inflammatory diseases. It is also linked to other arthritic and rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
Currently, the only treatment available is the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as aspirin or ibuprofen. In more serious cases of tendon injury, steroid injections can be given directly into the tendon sheath to control pain and enable physical therapy to start.
However, NSAIDS and steroids are associated with undesired side effects including stomach ulcers, nausea, and headaches. Consequently, there is an acute need for new treatments with fewer debilitating side effects.
Curcumin, a key ingredient of the spice turmeric, has been used for centuries in traditional Indian or ‘Ayurvedic’ medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent and remedy for symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders.
The study used a culture model of human tendon inflammation to study the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on tendon cells, through the action of curcumin on signalling molecules called interleukins.
Interleukins are a type of small cell-signalling protein molecules called cytokines that can activate a whole series of inflammatory genes by triggering a dangerous ‘switch’ called NF-κB.
The results showed that introducing curcumin in the culture system inhibits NF-κB and prevents it from switching on and promoting further inflammation.
The article can be found at: Buhrmann, C et al. (2011) Curcumin Modulates Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB)-mediated Inflammation in Human Tenocytes in Vitro.
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Source: University of Nottingham.
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