Effect of curcumin on the adhesion of platelets to brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether curcumin prevents the adhesion of platelets to brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) cultured in vitro.


METHODS
[3H]Adenine- labeled platelets were incubated with BMECs to investigate the role of curcumin in the adhesion of platelets to BMECs. The number of platelets adhering to the BMECs monolayer was determined by liquid scintillation spectroscopy. The thrombin-induced expression of platelets P-selectin, glycoprotein IIb (GPIIb), and glycoprotein IIIa (GPIIIa) on the cell surface, was measured by flow cytometry. P-selectin mRNA levels of BMECs were determined by RT-PCR. The TNF-alpha- induced expressions of P-selectin and E-selectin on the surface of BMECs were determined by Western blotting.


RESULTS
The adhesion between thrombin-activated platelets and normal BMECs, and that of TNF-alpha-activated BMECs and normal platelets were significantly increased, and this increase could be inhibited by curcumin (30-240 micromol/L) in a concentration-dependant manner. The platelets activated with thrombin and BMECs stimulated by TNF-alpha demonstrated an upregulated expressions of P-selectin and E-selectin, and this increase, when pretreated with curcumin for 30 min, could be restrained dose dependently. Curcumin also inhibited the increase of the GPIIb/GPIIIa expression of thrombinactivated platelets in a concentration-dependent manner.


CONCLUSIONS
Curcumin can inhibit the platelets to BMECs. This effect may be related to the decreased expressions of P-selectin, E-selectin, and GPIIb/GPIIIa on platelets and BMECs.
Department of Pharmacology and Laboratory of Aging and Nervous Diseases, Soochow University School of Medicine, Suzhou 215123, China.
Li
L
Zhang
Zhen-lun
ZL
Gu
Zheng-hong
ZH
Qin
Zhong-qin
ZQ
Liang
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000187:drug effects*; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010973:Platelet Adhesiveness / Q000187:drug effects*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology
D019040:E-Selectin; D019007:P-Selectin; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003474:Curcumin