Effect of curcumin on eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacillus which causes stomach ulcer and chronic gastritis. Curcumin is the effective component of turmeric. Considering the high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori and also safety and antimicrobial effects of turmeric we investigated the effect of curcumin on patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

We selected 40 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms suspected of Helicobacter pylori infection.  These patients had undergone endoscopy, and their biopsies were positive for RUT. Serum specimens of the participants were tested for serum Hpylori IgG. Patients who had positive samples for both tests were considered positive for Helicobacter pylori. We gave the three-drug treatment regimen including clarithromycin, amoxicillin, and omeprazole as the treatment base to both groups for two weeks. Curcumin capsule (500 mg ) was administered for the treatment group and placebo for the control group in addition to the therapeutic regimen. Then PPI treatment was started for one and a half months after cessation of the three-drug regimen. UBT test was performed two weeks after cessation of the medications in both groups.

The mean age of the patients was 41.53 ± 12.65 years. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender (P = 0.32) and age (P = 0.6). Also, no significant differences were found between the two groups in relation to other demographic data and risk factors(P> 0.05). Also, eradication rates of the infection in the two groups showed no significant difference (P> 0.05).

The addition of curcumin as a supplement to the standard treatment regimen for Helicobacter pylori infection is not effective in the treatment and eradication of the infection