Effects of curcumin in treatment of experimental pulmonary fibrosis: a comparison with hydrocortisone.
To compare curcumin with hydrocortisone for treating bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BLMPF), four groups of rats were injected with 1.5 mg/kg bleomycin intratracheally. Then the Group HC rats were treated with three injections of 2mg/kg hydrocortisone i.p.; Group CH and CL rats, respectively, were orally given 500 or 250 mg/kg curcumin daily; and Group PC rats were given deionized water alone. After 28 days of treatment, lung samples were examined by H-E staining, Masson's staining and immunohistochemical analyses and pulmonary type I collagen (Col-I), inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were determined by Western blotting and real-time RT PCR analyses. The results showed that (1) Group PC rats had histopathological characteristics of BLMPF with significant increase in their protein/mRNA expressions of Col-I (+114%/+173%), iNOS (+146%/+523%) and TGF-beta1 (+476%/+527%) (P<0.01); (2) in Group HC, CH and CL rats, protein/mRNA expressions of Col-I (-39%/-52%, -31%/-57%, -33%/-58%), iNOS (-31%/-51%, -31%/-79%, -31%/-47%) and TGF-beta1 (-64%/-78%, -75%/-74%, -81%/-79%) were significantly lower than Group PC (P<0.05); (3) except for levels of TGF-beta1 protein, there was no significant difference among Group CH, CL and HC rats (P>0.05). It suggests that curcumin may play a similar role as hydrocortisone in preventing BLMPF.
Xu
Min
M
School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China. xumin@hkbu.edu.bk
Deng
Bin
B
Chow
Yeuk-Lung
YL
Zhao
Zhong-Zhen
ZZ
Hu
Bin
B
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D001761:Bleomycin; D015153:Blotting, Western; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003474:Curcumin / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000096:biosynthesis
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D024042:Collagen Type I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D001761:Bleomycin; D003404:Creatinine; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D003474:Curcumin; D006854:Hydrocortisone