University of Arizona to begin clinical trials for ‘spicy’ rheumatoid arthritis treatment

PHOENIX — A study from the University of Arizona that will test the anti-inflammatory impact of turmeric spice to treat rheumatoid arthritis has moved into clinical trials, according to a recent press release.

University of Arizona College of Medicine Professor Janet Funk, M.D., has been studying the potential of the South Asian spice for several years but decided to focus primarily on its effects for treating rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body’s defense system to “attack itself” by inflaming the tissues around joints. The disease mostly affects women and no known cure exists.

Funk said although her and her research team knew of the spice’s anti-inflammatory qualities, they only recently discovered the specific compound responsible for doing so.

The study found turmeric inactivates a protein that launches a “fleet” of inflammatory proteins made by the body that is also causes bone breakdown, according to the press release.

“(The compound) targets a protein that is the commander of the fleet of all the inflammatory proteins that your body produces, and so it prevents the fleet from sailing,” Funk said. “It attacks the top and so the rest of the cascade doesn’t happen.”

The forthcoming clinical trials will study 45 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis over a period of a month, comparing the effects of various doses of turmeric dietary supplements and inactive placebos.

Funk said she hopes the results of this smaller study, which received $3 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, will lead to a larger study in Arizona.

“Ongoing research projects require teams of talented (University of Arizona) faculty, students and staff with complementary areas of expertise, ranging from biostatisticians to pharmacologists to clinicians,” she said in the press release. “ It takes a village to move research all the way from the lab bench to the bedside; The (University of Arizona) is our village.”

Funk said there are potentially other diseases turmeric might be useful in treating, such as breast cancer. She is partnering with University of Arizona College of Nursing Professor Thaddedus Pace, Ph.D., to study the spice’s ability to reduce fatigue in women undergoing  chemotherapy for the cancer.

“One of the exciting things about studying ancient treatments using modern tools is that once you figure out how they work, you sometimes realize that they might also be useful for the treatment of entirely different diseases,” she said in the press release. “From learning how turmeric affects bone in our early arthritis work, we realized that turmeric also might be useful in blocking bone metastasis in women with advanced breast cancer.”

KTAR News’ Sharon Mittelman contributed to this report.

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