title: Curcumin improves the integrity of blood-spinal cord barrier after compressive spinal cord injury in rats.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that curcumin (Cur) can produce potent neuroprotective effects against damage due to spinal cord injury (SCI). However, whether Cur can preserve the function of the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) is unclear. The present study was performed to investigate the mechanism underlying BSCB permeability changes, which were induced by treatment with Cur (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg, i.p.) after compressive SCI in rats. BSCB permeability was evaluated by Evans blue leakage. Motor recovery of rats with SCI was assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scoring system every day until the 21st days post-injury. The protein levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), tight junction protein, and inflammatory factors were analyzed by western blots. The expression of the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) mRNA was determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions. Treatment with Cur (150 and 300 mg/kg) significantly reduced Evans blue leakage into the spinal cord tissue at 24h after SCI. Cur (150 mg/kg) significantly increased HO-1 protein expression. The levels of TNF-α and NF-κB mRNA and protein greatly increased at 24h after SCI, and this increase was significantly attenuated by Cur treatment. ZO-1 and occludin expression was upregulated by Cur (150 mg/kg) treatment after SCI, and this effect was blocked by the HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin. Long-term effects of Cur on motor recovery after SCI were observed. Our results indicated that Cur can improve motor function after SCI, which could correlate with improvements in BSCB integrity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: De-shui
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: cy_2014777@163.com.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xi-fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, the First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan-feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhong-kai
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan-song
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, People Street No. 5-2, GuTa District, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lv
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005070:Evans Blue; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D062793:Occludin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016328:NF-kappa B; D062793:Occludin; D011524:Protoporphyrins; C569044:Tjp1 protein, rat; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; C017803:zinc protoporphyrin; D005070:Evans Blue; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Blood–spinal cord barrier; Curcumin; Heme oxygenase-1; Spinal cord injury; Tight junction; Tight junction protein