Gallbladder Perforation Associated with Consumption of Curcumin Case Report

Alejandro Vega B.A.^1, and Ernie Yap MD¹

¹State University of New York Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA

Cite this paper

Alejandro Vega B.A. and Ernie Yap MD. Gallbladder Perforation Associated with Consumption of Curcumin Case Report. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2022; 10(12):311-313. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-10-12-4

Abstract

Curcumin is an herbal supplement that is consumed for its purported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor properties as well as the prevention of gallstone formation. There have been few studies that investigate its role in people with current or history of biliary obstruction. Herein we discuss an encounter of a patient who presented with a perforated gallbladder after having ingested 1500-2250mg of curcumin per day for four months. We shall also review the state of known literature on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of curcumin and its role as an herbal supplement. Lastly, we will examine the pitfalls of taking high levels of herbal supplements.

Keywords

Curcumin, adverse events, biliary obstruction, gallstone, perforation

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References

[1]	Gupta SC, Patchva S, Koh W, Aggarwal BB. Discovery of curcumin, a component of golden spice, and its miraculous biological activities. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. Mar 2012; 39(3): 283-99.
[2]	Gupta SC, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB. Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials. AAPS J. Jan 2013; 15(1): 195-218.
[3]	Hatcher H, Planalp R, Cho J, Torti FM, Torti SV. Curcumin: from ancient medicine to current clinical trials. Cell Mol Life Sci. Jun 2008; 65(11): 1631-52.
[4]	Woodland G. Turmeric: potential adverse effects and interactions. United Kingdom: NHS; 2018.
[5]	Date RS, Thrumurthy SG, Whiteside S, et al. Gallbladder perforation: case series and systematic review. Int J Surg. 2012; 10(2): 63-8.
[6]	Stefanidis D, Sirinek KR, Bingener J. Gallbladder perforation: risk factors and outcome. J Surg Res. Apr 2006; 131(2): 204-8.
[7]	Derıcı H, Kamer E, Kara C, et al. Gallbladder perforation: clinical presentation, predisposing factors, and surgical outcomes of 46 patients. Turk J Gastroenterol. Oct 2011; 22(5): 505-12.
[8]	Derici H, Kara C, Bozdag AD, Nazli O, Tansug T, Akca E. Diagnosis and treatment of gallbladder perforation. World J Gastroenterol. Dec 2006; 12(48): 7832-6.
[9]	Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods. 10 2017; 6(10).
[10]	Jurenka JS. Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical research. Altern Med Rev. Jun 2009; 14(2): 141-53.
[11]	Rao CV. Regulation of COX and LOX by curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007; 595: 213-26.
[12]	Srimal RC, Dhawan BN. Pharmacology of diferuloyl methane (curcumin), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. J Pharm Pharmacol. Jun 1973; 25(6): 447-52.
[13]	Sung Eun K, Y oung-Pil Y, Kyu-Sik S, Daniel I. J, Kyeongsoon P, Hak-Jun K. In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory and tendon-healing effects in Achilles tendinopathy of long-term curcumin delivery using porous microspheres. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry; 2018, p. 123-130.
[14]	Liu TY, Tan ZJ, Jiang L, et al. Curcumin induces apoptosis in gallbladder carcinoma cell line GBC-SD cells. Cancer Cell Int. Jun 2013; 13(1): 64.
[15]	Ono M, Higuchi T, Takeshima M, Chen C, Nakano S. Antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity of curcumin against human gallbladder adenocarcinoma cells. Anticancer Res. May 2013; 33(5): 1861-6.
[16]	Ak T, Gülçin I. Antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of curcumin. Chem Biol Interact. Jul 2008; 174(1): 27-37.
[17]	Rasyid A, Lelo A. The effect of curcumin and placebo on human gall-bladder function: an ultrasound study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. Feb 1999; 13(2): 245-9.
[18]	Turmeric. 2021.
[19]	M.Sc. M.S H, M.Sc. PDN, Chandrasekhara. Influence of curcumin and capsaicin on cholesterol gallstone induction in hamsters and mice. Nutrition Research; 1993. p. 349-357.
[20]	Sharma RA, McLelland HR, Hill KA, et al. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic study of oral Curcuma extract in patients with colorectal cancer. Clin Cancer Res. Jul 2001; 7(7): 1894-900.
[21]	Ammon HP, Wahl MA. Pharmacology of Curcuma longa. Planta Med. Feb 1991; 57(1): 1-7.
[22]	Garcea G, Berry DP, Jones DJ, et al. Consumption of the putative chemopreventive agent curcumin by cancer patients: assessment of curcumin levels in the colorectum and their pharmacodynamic consequences. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. Jan 2005; 14(1): 120-5.
[23]	Perkins S, Verschoyle RD, Hill K, et al. Chemopreventive efficacy and pharmacokinetics of curcumin in the min/+ mouse, a model of familial adenomatous polyposis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. Jun 2002; 11(6): 535-40.
[24]	Çakan D, Aydın S, Demir G, Başak K. The effect of curcumin on healing in an animal nasal septal perforation model. Laryngoscope. 10 2019; 129(10): E349-E354.
[25]	Eckert J, Scott B, Lawrence SM, Ihnat M, Chaaban H. FLLL32, a curcumin analog, ameliorates intestinal injury in necrotizing enterocolitis. J Inflamm Res. 2017; 10: 75-81.
[26]	Yılmaz Savcun G, Ozkan E, Dulundu E, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin against hepatorenal oxidative injury in an experimental sepsis model in rats. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. Nov 2013; 19(6): 507-15.
[27]	Li H, Sun H, Xu Y, Xing G, Wang X. Curcumin plays a protective role against septic acute kidney injury by regulating the TLR9 signaling pathway. Transl Androl Urol. May 2021; 10(5): 2103-2112.
[28]	Langmead L, Rampton DS. Review article: herbal treatment in gastrointestinal and liver disease--benefits and dangers. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. Sep 2001; 15(9): 1239-52.
[29]	Sharma V, Gelin LFF, Sarkar IN. Identifying Herbal Adverse Events From Spontaneous Reporting Systems Using Taxonomic Name Resolution Approach. Bioinform Biol Insights. 2020; 14: 1177932220921350.