The potential of curcumin for treating spinal cord injury: a meta-analysis study

Introduction: In this paper, we conducted a meta-analysis on the curcumin effect on functional recovery provided by the Basso, Beattie, Brenham (BBB) test for rats, and the Basso mouse scale (BMS) for mice after spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal models. Method: Data mining was performed, and the standard mean difference (SMD) between the treated and control (untreated) groups was calculated using the STATA software. Quality control and subgroup analysis were performed. Results: The analysis includes 24 experimental studies that showed curcumin had a strong significance in improving functional recovery after SCI (SMD = 3.38; 95% CI: 2.54–4.22; p < 0.001). When curcumin was administered daily, it had a stronger effect than single-dose treatment or weekly administration. Despite the same effect in the follow-up time before and after 4 weeks post-injury, but later 9 weeks, curcumin had only a moderate effect. Curcumin also significantly reduced the expression of GFAP (Glial fibrillary acidic protein) marker compared to untreated groups. Conclusion: These findings suggest that daily administration of curcumin can be an effective approach to improving functional recovery after SCI.