Comparison of curcumin and methylprednisolone in the prevention of epidural fibrosis after spinal surgery: An experimental study

Abstract

We aimed to compare the effectiveness of curcumin, which has been shown to inhibit cell migration and proliferation, with that of methylprednisolone, which has been shown to have a similar mechanism of action to that of curcumin and to delay tissue repair and wound healing, in the prevention of epidural fibrosis in an experimental laminectomy model in rats. The experiment was conducted with 40 male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g which were divided into four groups. Laminectomy was performed from L1 to L4 in all groups. Curcumin and methylprednisolone were applied to the other two groups except the control and DMSO groups. The vertebral colon was excised en bloc and each section was examined for epidural fibrosis formation under a light microscope to evaluate histologically using the grading system. Results: The statistical analyses indicated that the treatment groups had a significant effect on the histological grades of epidural fibrosis in rats compared to the control group. Curcumin, derived from the rhizome (Rhizoma Curcumae) of turmeric (Curcuma longa) was found to show a significant effect in the prevention of epidural fibrosis formation with its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and by inhibiting further recruitment of fibroblasts to the laminectomy area. In the present study, both histological examination and statistical analyses indicated that the administration of curcumin led to a remarkable reduction in epidural fibrosis after laminectomy.