Turmeric linked with enhancing ‘good’ bacteria in guts of mice in new study

The researchers said they developed this nanoemulsion to enhance the efficacy of curcumin in treating patients with inflammation of the digestive tract and gut.

New Delhi: A solution containing curcumin, the main ingredient in turmeric, was linked with enhancing beneficial bacteria in the guts of mice in a new study.

Researchers at the University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE) and São Paulo State University found that Lactobacillus bacteria, one of the most common probiotics found in foods such as yogurt, were about 25 per cent more abundant in the mice treated with curcumin solution than in the control group.

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The solution was an emulsion containing nanometric particles, or a nanoemulsion, of curcumin, known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The researchers said they developed this nanoemulsion to enhance the efficacy of curcumin in treating patients with inflammation of the digestive tract and gut.

While curcumin has gained prominence in treatments to combat inflammatory intestinal disorders, its bioavailability — amount reaching the site of physiological activity — is low when administered orally and even lower in patients with inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and others, they said.

“The research comprised two stages. The first entailed producing a nanoemulsion to deliver the curcumin. In the second, we evaluated its stability, morphology and physicochemical properties,” said Lizziane Kretli Winkelströter Eller, a professor at UNOESTE and the last author of the study published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics.

The researchers induced intestinal inflammation in mice using the drug indomethacin and administered the curcumin nanoemulsion orally for 14 days.

Analysing intestinal inflammation at the end of this period, the team found that after the drug caused damage, the nanoemulsion changed the gut microbiota of mice by enhancing the presence of beneficial bacteria along with “effectively” improving the bioavailability of curcumin.

“The nanoemulsion didn’t lead to a significant improvement in the intestinal inflammation but the relative abundance of Lactobacillus bacteria was about 25 per cent higher in the mice treated with curcumin nanoemulsion than in the control group,” said Eller.

The study authors stressed the importance of developing novel formulations to enhance the efficacy of curcumin in preventing and treating inflammatory bowel disease, given that the compound has proved as a valid alternative to existing treatments which are expensive and produce significant side effects.

The team is continuing the research on the potential of nanoformulations to deliver nutraceuticals — food elements of plant or animal origin with significant health benefits.