nano-curcumin effects on ischemic stroke clinical outcomes and interleukin-6 levels: pilot randomized clinical trial

Background: accumulation of inflammatory factors in the stroke area results in brain tissue damage and a patient’s disability. it has been demonstrated that curcumin has neuroprotective effects.objectives: this study aims to evaluate the effects of nano-curcumin, a more stable and soluble form than the common curcumin, on the national institutes of health stroke scale (nihss) and modified rankin scale (mrs) scores and interleukin-6 (il-6) serum levels in ischemic stroke patients.materials & methods: forty ischemic stroke patients were randomly divided into two groups of nano-curcumin and control, with 20 patients in each group. the curcumin group received nano-curcumin with a dose of 80 mg/d for one month, and the control group received placebo. neurological disabilities were assessed by nihss and mrs over three time points. il-6 serum levels were evaluated over two time points. infarct area volume was evaluated in two time points.results: nihss and mrs scores were significantly lower in the curcumin group than in the control group (p=0.038 and p<0.001, respectively). serum levels of il-6 were significantly lower in the curcumin group than in the controls (p<0.001). the cerebral infarct volume did not change significantly one week after the treatment with curcumin. conclusion: nano-curcumin improves the stroke clinical symptoms in ischemic stroke patients, as indicated by the reduction of nihss and mrs, in addition to a decrease in serum levels of il-6.