Protective effect of curcumin on rats after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion damage

Objective: To explore the protective effect of curcumin(Cur) on the injury caused by focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) of rats and its mechanism.Methods: The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) and reperfusion was set up.Cur of 20 mg/kg,40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected into the rats respectively,and the changes of the neurologic deficiency scores and the infarct volume were observed.The expression of HSP70 in brain tissue was detected by the method of immuno-histochemistry.Results: Sham-operated group presented no neurologic changes.The neurologic deficiency scores in Cur groups were obviously elevated,compared with those in I/R group.The infarct volume in Cur groups was obviously less than that of I/R group,and the infarct volume of Cur 20 mg/kg group was obviously larger than that of the other two groups.Compared with I/R group,the number and the rate of HSP70 positive cells increased obviously in Cur groups,and Cur 40 mg/kg group was supior to the other two groups.Conclusions: Cur can prevent rats from focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion damage.The mechanism may be that Cur can elevate the expression of HSP70 in local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion damage,thus protecting the neurons more effectively.