title: Evaluation of the efficacy of curcumin in experimentally induced acute otitis media in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the effect of curcumin (CMN) in the treatment of experimentally induced acute otitis media (AOM) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley female rats were used, yielding 64 temporal bones. Group 1 was the control group. For groups 2 to 4, AOM was induced experimentally, and saline, antibiotics (sulbactam-ampicillin), or CMN were administered for 14 days to groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively. During the histological examination, thickening of the tympanic membrane, damage to the epithelium, inflammation, and sclerosis were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AOM+antibiotic and AOM+CMN groups exhibited reduced histological damage compared with the AOM+saline group. No significant differences in thickening of the tympanic membrane or damage to the epithelium or inflammation were observed between the AOM+antibiotic and the AOM+CMN groups. However, the sclerosis values of the AOM+CMN group were significantly lower than those of the AOM+antibiotic group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMN treatment resulted in similar effects on the experimentally induced AOM model as did the antibiotic treatment. The efficacy of this treatment may be related to its effects on the production of various inflammatory cytokines. In light of the worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance and the mild side effects of CMN, we suggest that CMN therapy may be a promising option in AOM treatment.
authors.affiliation: Yunus Emre State Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Leman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Birdane
authors.forename: Nuray Bayar
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Muluk
authors.forename: Cemal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cingi
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burukoglu
authors.forename: Vural
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fidan
authors.forename: Armagan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Incesulu
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003474:Curcumin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: antibiotic; curcumin; experimentally induced acute otitis media; histological examination; rats