Clinical Evidence

Combination Treatment With Curcumin and Quercetin of Adenomas in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006; 4:1035–38
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant form of hereditary colorectal cancer, in which hundreds of colorectal adenomas develop in adolescent age with potential to develop into colorectal cancer in later stages of life unless the polyps are removed.

Earlier studies on the FAP showed decrease in adenomas with use of Sulindac and Celecoxib (COX-2 selective inhibitor). Though the effective regression was observed using the above drugs, the side effects from these chemopreventive drugs limit their use as a first choice of defense.

Hence, there is a need for natural chemopreventive drugs for the management of FAP effectively with less side effects. While the benefits of Curcumin are evident from the clinical studies done on colorectal cancer, another natural compound which has been investigated for its effect on colon cancer is Quercetin. Quercetin belongs to polyphenolic family and is present in nature in onion, green tea and St. John’s wort. It is also a principal constituent observed in red wine. Quercetin has been studied for its antioxidant activity and has been of interest in colon health management as ex vivo studies showed inhibition of cell growth in human colon cancer cells.
Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of Curcumin-Quercetin combination to regress intestinal adenomas in subjects suffering from FAP.

Study Design:

In this 9-month clinical trial five FAP patients who have previously undergone colectomy and had 5 or more adenomas were selected to receive 3 tablets of Oxy-Q daily each containing 480 mg Curcumin and 20 mg of Quercetin. All patients were asked to avoid taking the NSAIDs during the trial.

The parameters evaluated during the trial (i.e. at baseline and at the end of the study) included fasting glucose level and lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and Triglycerides) along with liver and kidney function tests.

Results:
  • Safety was monitored regularly and number and size of adenomas were evaluated during every visit at 3-month intervals
  • Results showed that Curcumin-Quercetin combination was useful in the management of FAP patients with prior colectomy as it effectively reduced the number as well as size of adenomatous polyps in both retained rectum and ileonal pouch
Conclusion

The study results were consistent with the effects observed in literature for use of Curcumin in colorectal carcinogenesis. The study also showed high compliance with no serious adverse events occurring in any of the patients.