Effects of curcumin on inflammatory reaction and blood-brain barrier permeability in rats following cerebral ischemic injury / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Aim To explore the effects of curcumin on inflammatory reaction and blood-brain barrier permeability in rats following cerebral ischemic injury,and to further investigate its potential mechanisms.Methods SD rats underwent the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by the sutrure occlusion model were randomly divided into sham-control,cerebral ischemia and curcumin-treatment groups.Neurological deficit scores,cerebral infarction volume,brain water content and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability were measured,myeloperoxidase(MPO)activities in rat brain were measured as an index of neutrophil infiltration;content of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in rat brain was detected by ELISA;expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) in rat brain was determined by Western blot.Results Neurological deficit and cerebral infarction volume was decreased in curcumin-treatment group.The degree of neutrophilicgranulo cyte infiltration in cerebral tissues was decreased and the integrity of BBB was improved.Curcumin could also inhibit TNF-α and MMP-9 expression.Conclusion Curcumin exerts the neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats through inhibiting the inflammatory reaction and improving BBB integrity,which may be associated with the inhibiton of TNF-α and MMP-9.