Effect of Topical Curcumin on Tinea Unguium

Abstract

Onychomycosis is one of the prevalent fungal infections that occur in the nails, and this paper has straight forwardly discussed this fungal infection. Fungal infection of the nail is a worldwide infestation caused by a specific fungal family known as tinea unguium. Although it is not a serious condition, its treatment may be prolonged with an optimal medical approach and, if not treated well, may induce disseminated fungal spread to other skin sites and cause cosmetic deformities. Curcumin is a well-known plant extract that has been used for many centuries for many purposes like cooking and coloring agent and recently used for many clinical conditions as it has pleiotropic biological effects like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune modifier and many other effects. Aim of the study: to evaluate if Curcumin has an additive effect when used with terbinafine (a traditional anti-fungal agent used for this condition) when applied topically. Patients and method: 312 patients were randomly selected and separated into two groups. Group I used terbinafine only, and group II used terbinafine and topical Curcumin for one week for both groups. Results: there was a significant cure rate in group II compared to group I am suggesting that Curcumin has a potential anti-fungal effect.