Curcumin nanoparticles are a promising anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent for treating periprosthetic joint infections.

BACKGROUND

Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) have a high incidence of recurrence after total joint replacement and are difficult to treat by debridement or antibiotic treatment. Curcumin is a natural product with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. The low bioactivity of curcumin in water restricts its clinical application. Curcumin nanoparticles (CURN) were developed to overcome this limitation.

METHODS

In this study, the therapeutic effects of CURN and their anti-inflammatory functions were investigated in a Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-induced PJIs model.

RESULTS

CURN first attenuated the biofilm-induced expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and then regulated M1- and M2-phenotypic MDSC expression. Down-regulation of cytokines and reactive oxygen species was considered as the mechanism of CURN in reversing the suppression of T cell proliferation. The recovery of bone permeative destruction demonstrated that CURN enhanced therapeutic potency of vancomycin in vivo.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to demonstrate that CURN may be useful for treating PJIs.