RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the protective effects of curcumin on exaggerated extracellular matrix accumulation of pulmonary fibrosis rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>One hundred and forty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (24 rats in each group). Rats in the model control group, positive medicine group, and high, moderate and low curcumin groups were injected with a single dose of bleomycin by trachea, and rats in sham-model control group with same volume normal saline. One day after the injection, curcumin solution of different dosages (200, 100, 50 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) was respectively given to rats in the high, moderate and low curcumin group daily by gastrogavage, while equal volume of normal saline was given to those in the sham-model control group and model control group, and an equal volume of prednisone (0.56 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) was given to those in positive medicine control group. On the 7, 14, 28 days, 8 rats per treatment group were randomly killed, the levels of III-collagen, IV-collagen, laminin and hyaluronic acid in the serum were determined, the determination of hydroxyproline in lung homogenates was analyzed, and the lung was incised to make pathological sections which were stained with HE and Mallory.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Curcumin could decreas the levels of III-collagen, IV-collagen, laminin and hyaluronic acid in the serum, and inhihit the proliferation of fibrous tissue.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Curcumin may play its therapetuic role by leveling down the content of extracellular matrix in rats with pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin.</p>