Protective Effects of Curcumin Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Nervous System

Abstract

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R injury) is a common feature of ischemic stroke which occurs when blood supply is restored after a period of ischemia. Although stroke is an important cause of death in the world, effective therapeutic strategies aiming at improving neurological outcomes in this disease are lacking. Various studies have suggested the involvement of different mechanisms in the pathogenesis of I/R injury in the nervous system. These mechanisms include oxidative stress, platelet adhesion and aggregation, leukocyte infiltration, complement activation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, and mitochondria-mediated mechanisms. Curcumin, an active ingredient of turmeric, can affect all these pathways and exert neuroprotective activity culminating in the amelioration of I/R injury in the nervous system. In this review, we discuss the protective effects of curcumin against I/R injury in the nervous system and highlight the studies that have linked biological functions of curcumin and I/R injury improvement.

The Sphkl/SlP pathway regulates angiogenesis via NOS/NO synthesis following cerebral ischemia‐reperfusion

“…Mice lacking eNOS expression have previously been shown to exhibit a larger infarcted area in the brain following ischemia relative to wild‐type controls, with eNOS also being known to be essential as a regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis . In this study, we found that endothelial cells rapidly induced eNOS following cerebral IRI (Figure ), with Sphk1/S1P being essential mediators of NO generation and angiogenesis in an eNOS‐dependent manner in an HBMEC model of OGDR (Figures ).…”

Curcumin exerts protective effects against hypoxia‑reoxygenation injury via the enhancement of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease�1 in SH‑SY5Y cells: Involvement of the PI3K/AKT pathway

“…A growing number of studies have suggested that oxidative stress refers to the elevated production of intracellular ROS, which may lead to damage in tissue, lipids, proteins and dNA, involved in the pathophysiological processes of cerebral ischemia (37,38). It is well known that the antioxidant activity of curcumin is critical for its neuroprotective effects (39). APE1 is a master regulator of the cellular response to oxidative stress, and is involved in gene transcriptional regulation during the adaptive cellular response to oxidative stress, as well as in the base excision repair pathway of oxidative dNA lesions, which consist of dNA-protein crosslinks, AP sites, 8-OHdG formation and single-strand breaks (40,41).…”

Biological properties of metal complexes of curcumin

“…However, approved drugs for the treatment of cancer are usually limited by potential undesirable side effects such as hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, reduction in platelet counts, and myelosuppression . Curcumin, a natural polyphenolic compound and the principal coloring agent found in the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae), has several health benefits, including antioxidant , anti‐inflammatory , immunomodulatory , antiarthritic , antithrombotic , pulmonoprotective , lipid‐modifying , neuroprotective , anticancer , antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective properties. Numerous reports have indicated that curcumin is quite safe and nontoxic to humans up to doses of 12 g/day .…”