Curcumin Alters Neural Plasticity and Viability of Intact Hippocampal Circuits and Attenuates Behavioral Despair and COX-2 Expression in Chronically Stressed Rats.

Ga-Young Choi,Sang-Seong Kim,Ji-Ho Park,Hyun-Bum Kim,Min-Ji Kim,Seok Lee,Eun-Sang Hwang,Ji-Young Choi,Sung-Ok Lee

doi:10.1155/2017/6280925

Abstract

Curcumin is a major diarylheptanoid component of Curcuma longa with traditional usage for anxiety and depression. It has been known for the anti-inflammatory, antistress, and neurotropic effects. Here we examined curcumin effect in neural plasticity and cell viability. 60-channel multielectrode array was applied on organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) to monitor the effect of 10 μM curcumin in long-term depression (LTD) through low-frequency stimulation (LFS) to the Schaffer collaterals and commissural pathways. Cell viability was assayed by propidium iodide uptake test in OHSCs. In addition, the influence of oral curcumin administration on rat behavior was assessed with the forced swim test (FST). Finally, protein expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were measured by Western blot in chronically stressed rats. Our results demonstrated that 10 μM curcumin attenuated LTD and reduced cell death. It also recovered the behavior immobility of FST, rescued the attenuated BDNF expression, and inhibited the enhancement of COX-2 expression in stressed animals. These findings indicate that curcumin can enhance postsynaptic electrical reactivity and cell viability in intact neural circuits with antidepressant-like effects, possibly through the upregulation of BDNF and reduction of inflammatory factors in the brain.

Highlights

Excessive stress can cause anxiety, tension, and depression and have an adverse effect on normal life
There have been controversies concerning the effect of stress on body weight [17, 18]: one study reported that body weight was decreased in the stressed animal model [18], whereas another suggested that there was no significant difference in body weight in the stressed model compared to the placebo [17, 19]
The control group showed a decrease in body weight compared to the sham group that was not affected by stress (Figure 5)

Summary

Introduction

Excessive stress can cause anxiety, tension, and depression and have an adverse effect on normal life. Various classes of antidepressants have been developed based on the neurotransmitter system and used in clinical settings, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). These antidepressants demonstrate gradual effects with slow onset and take least. Curcumin is a major diarylheptanoid and polyphenol component of Curcuma longa with both medical and nutritional values It is extracted from the dry rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn (Zingiberaceae), a perennial herb that is widely cultivated in tropical regions of Asia [7]. This study reveals the neuroprotective effects of curcumin associated with antidepression activity through long-term depression- (LTD-) associated neural plasticity

Materials and Methods

Results

Discussion