Effects of curcumin on oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in L-arginine induced acute pancreatitis in mice

Abstract

Background and purposeCurcumin, an active constituent of rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn, exhibits a variety of biological activities such as anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant. The present study aims to examine the effects of curcumin on oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in L-arginine induced acute pancreatitis (AP) in mice. MethodsMale ICR mice were randomly divided into 4 groups. Control group received intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of 1% DMSO as a vehicle. AP group received two doses of i.p. L-arginine (L-Arg) 450 mg/100 g body weight (BW) at 1-hour interval. AP plus low-dose curcumin group received i.p. curcumin 50 mg/kg BW 1 hour before L-Arg injection and then once daily for 3 days. AP plus high-dose curcumin group received i.p. curcumin 200 mg/kg BW 1 hour before L-Arg injection and then once daily for 3 days. All mice were sacrificed at 72 hours. Pancreatic tissue was obtained for histological evaluation, immunohistochemical studies for nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-kβ), apoptosis and myeloperoxidase (MPO), and Western blot analyses for 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Blood samples were collected for amylase analysis. ResultsMean body weight was significantly lower in AP group than in control group, while in curcumin group, body weight was maintained. The serum amylase, number of MPO positive cells, NF-kB positive cells, TUNEL positive cells, and 4-HNE expression significantly increased in AP group when compared with control group, but decreased in low and high-dose curcumin groups. Mice in AP group developed severe pancreatic inflammation, edema and fat necrosis. While mice in low and high-dose curcumin groups showed a significant improvement in histopathological scores. There was no significant difference between low and high doses of curcumin. ConclusionCurcumin could attenuate acute pancreatitis via anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis property leading to the improvement in pancreatic damage.