Effect of Curcumin Dose, Treatment Duration and Intervention Type on Tumor Inhibition in Animal Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Curcuma longa L. has been used as a traditional medicine in India and China for the treatment of diabetic wounds, inflammatory, hepatic, and digestive disorders. These effects lead to the research of this plant for the treatment of chronic diseases. To assess the tumor inhibition effect of curcumin in animal models by integrating various studies into a systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies of curcumin treatment in tumor-induced animal models were searched in electronic databases. The assessment of the quality of the studies included and the tumor inhibition effect was conducted by using SYRCLE’s Risk of Bias tool and Review Manager (The Cochrane Collaboration) software. Among the 732 articles identified, 11 studies that met the selection criteria were included in the analysis. Curcumin significantly inhibited the tumor volume in the animal models in overall, and the subgroup analyses revealed that high dose, long duration curcumin treatment, and intervention by injection have a more significant effect compared to the opposite group. Curcumin was effective in inhibiting tumor volume in animal models. The study quality and heterogeneity of the meta-analysis can probably be improved if a larger-scale of animal models and a well-designed study were available.