title: Curcumin prophylaxis mitigates the incidence of hypobaric hypoxia-induced altered ion channels expression and impaired tight junction proteins integrity in rat brain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study was proposed to elucidate the prophylactic role of curcumin in the prevention of hypoxia-induced cerebral edema (HACE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were exposed to simulated hypobaric hypoxia at 7620 m for 24 h at 25 ± 1 °C. Transvascular leakage, expression of transcriptional factors (nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif-1α) and also the genes regulated by these transcriptional factors, sodium potassium-adenosine triphosphatase (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase) and endothelial sodium channel (ENaC) levels and brain tight junction (TJ) proteins like ZO-1, junctional adhesion molecule C (JAMC), claudin 4 and claudin 5 levels were determined in the brain of rats under hypoxia by Western blotting, electro mobility shift assay, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, and histopathology along with haematological parameters. Simultaneously, to rule out the fact that inflammation causes impaired Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and ENaC functions and disturbing the TJ integrity leading to cerebral edema, the rats were pre-treated with curcumin (100 mg/kg body weight) 1 h prior to 24-h hypoxia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Curcumin administration to rats, under hypoxia showed a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in brain water content (3.53 ± 0.58 wet-to-dry-weight (W/D) ratio) and transvascular leakage (136.2 ± 13.24 relative fluorescence units per gram (r.f.u./g)) in the brain of rats compared to control (24-h hypoxia) (7.1 ± 1.0 W/D ratio and 262.42 ± 24.67 r.f.u./g, respectively). Curcumin prophylaxis significantly attenuated the upregulation of NF-κB (p < 0.001), thereby leading to concomitant downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (↓IL-1, IL-2, IL-18 and TNF-α), cell adhesion molecules (↓P-selectin and E-selectin) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine (↑IL-10). Curcumin stabilized the brain HIF-1α levels followed by maintaining VEGF levels along with upregulated Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and ENaC levels (p < 0.001) under hypoxia. Curcumin restored the brain ZO-1, JAMC, claudin 4 and claudin 5 levels (p < 0.001) under hypoxia. Histopathological observations revealed the absence of edema and inflammation in the brain of rats supplemented with curcumin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that curcumin is a potent drug in amelioration of HACE as it effectively attenuated inflammation as well as fluid influx by maintaining the tight junction proteins integrity with increased ion channels expression in the brain of rats under hypoxia.
authors.affiliation: Haematology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India. saradasks@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: S K S
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sarada
authors.affiliation: Haematology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India. tittom@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Titto
authors.affiliation: Haematology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India. patirhimadri@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Himadri
authors.affiliation: Haematology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India. singhsaumya001@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saumya
authors.affiliation: Haematology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India. vijayalakshmicbe@gmail.com.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vijayalakshmi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications*; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D015994:Incidence; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D062725:Tight Junction Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels; C497444:Hif1a protein, rat; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D007473:Ion Channels; D016328:NF-kappa B; D062725:Tight Junction Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D003474:Curcumin