SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025
Therapeutic effects of curcumin on upper gastrointestinal diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Turmeric: A Comprehensive Review of Its Botany, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Mechanisms as a Functional Food.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Phytochemical-driven angiogenesis and mucosal regeneration in gastric ulcer healing: molecular mechanisms, preclinical evidence, and translational perspectives.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCurcumin, the main bioactive compound in Curcuma longa L., has long been traditionally used for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal diseases. Preclinical studies have provided substantial evidence supporting its potential therapeutic effects. However, a systematic synthesis of these findings is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin on upper gastrointestinal outcomes in animals through systematic review and meta-analysis.
methodsStudies were retrieved from three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Embase) and through a hand search in Google Scholar, covering the period from inception to 2024. Animal studies comparing curcumin with control were selected and analyzed using RStudio version 2024.12.0. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the main effect sizes. The risk of bias was assessed using the SYRCLE’s tool. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and qualitative synthesis were also performed.
resultsA total of 49 studies were included in the analysis. The results indicated that curcumin significantly improved various outcomes, such as acid output (SMD = -1.47; 95% CI: -2.03–-0.92; p < 0.0001) and ulcer index (SMD = -2.19; 95% CI: -2.64–-1.73; p < 0.0001) in animals. It also improved oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, blood glucose level, and gastric emptying rate. However, the analyses revealed substantial heterogeneity, and the risk of bias was unclear in most studies, with five studies assessed as having a high risk of bias.
conclusionsCurcumin exhibits beneficial effects on various upper gastrointestinal disorders in animal models, including gastric ulcers, diabetic gastroparesis, esophageal diseases, Helicobacter pylori infection, and gastritis. These findings underscore curcumin’s therapeutic potential and highlight the need for clinical investigations to validate its translational applicability in humans. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registration with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (registration number: CRD42024603162).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.