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Therapeutic Effect of Curcumin in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Receiving Metformin: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1308))

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility, for which the insulin sensitizer metformin has been used therapeutically. It has been shown that curcumin also exhibits insulin-sensitizing properties. Given that metformin acts as an ovulation inducing agent and both curcumin and metformin can reduce insulin resistance, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of metformin with and without curcumin nanomicelles in the treatment of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This clinical trial was conducted on 100 women with PCOS, diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria, who were sequentially recruited and randomly divided into two groups (n = 50 each). Group 1 received 500 mg metformin three times daily and group 2 received 80 mg/day capsule of curcumin nanomicelle and 500 mg metformin three times a day for 3 months. After collecting fasting blood samples, biochemical parameters including triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol, plasma glucose, alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were evaluated based on enzymatic methods. Hormonal parameters were assessed using immunoassay kits. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin-sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were also assessed. After treatment, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and total testosterone in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 1 (p < 0.05). Post-treatment LDL-C levels in groups 1 and 2 were 117.9 ± 24 and 91.12 ± 19.46 mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.01). In addition, HDL-C levels were increased with curcumin (group 1: 38.1 ± 4.36 mg/dL; group 2: 44.12 ± 7.3 mg/dL, p < 0.05). Total cholesterol was decreased with curcumin level (group 1: 207.9 ± 39.84 mg/dL; group 2; 159.7 ± 48.43 mg/dL, p < 0.05), with a decrease in triglycerides levels (group 1: 141.6 ± 9.57; group 2: 97.5 ± 8.8 mg/dL, p < 0.01). This study showed that curcumin has a synergistic effect with metformin in the improvement of insulin resistance and lipid profile in patients with PCOS. Therefore, the combined use of metformin and curcumin may have therapeutic utility in patients with PCOS.

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Conflict of Interests

None.

Funding

Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Seyed Mojtaba Sohrevardi, Behrooz Heydari & Mohammad Teymourzadeh

  2. Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Center, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Seyed Mojtaba Sohrevardi

  3. Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Mahmoud Reza Azarpazhooh

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Mahmoud Reza Azarpazhooh

  5. Biomedical Research Unit, Mexican Social Security Institute, Durango, Mexico

    Luis E. Simental-Mendía

  6. Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Stephen L. Atkin

  7. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  8. Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  9. School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  10. Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute (PMMHRI), Lodz, Poland

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

  11. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mojgan Karimi-Zarchi

Authors
  1. Seyed Mojtaba Sohrevardi
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  2. Behrooz Heydari
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  3. Mahmoud Reza Azarpazhooh
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  4. Mohammad Teymourzadeh
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  5. Luis E. Simental-Mendía
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  6. Stephen L. Atkin
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  7. Amirhossein Sahebkar
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  8. Mojgan Karimi-Zarchi
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Correspondence to Mojgan Karimi-Zarchi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    George E. Barreto

  2. Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Amirhossein Sahebkar

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Sohrevardi, S.M. et al. (2021). Therapeutic Effect of Curcumin in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Receiving Metformin: A Randomized Controlled Trial. In: Barreto, G.E., Sahebkar, A. (eds) Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1308. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64872-5_9

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