Common Spice Relieves Eye Inflammation in Dogs, Human Studies to Follow

A therapeutic made from turmeric has been shown to help reduce the effects of a painful inflammatory eye condition in dogs known as uveitis. Erin Scott, an assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, led the study which was published recently in Science Advances.

Following cataract surgery, dogs typically suffer from uveitis, when postoperative inflammation leads to pain and vision impairment. A similar condition also occurs in humans undergoing eye surgeries. The researchers looked to curcumin, the active anti-inflammatory in turmeric, as a possible antidote. This molecule has been the subject of interest from both scientists and health enthusiasts for its purported antioxidant and pain-relieving properties.

One of the major barriers to using curcumin therapeutically is its low bioavailability — it’s difficult for the body to absorb it and for it to reach high enough concentrations at the anatomical site where it’s needed. To overcome this, the researchers developed a new curcumin formulation using nanotechnology to pull the active ingredient into cells, thus boosting its potency and efficacy.

A big plus for curcumin is that there are very few, if any, adverse side effects to taking it therapeutically. “Current…