curcumin and Constriction--Pathologic

Traditional Chinese medicine Curcuma Zedoary ( E'Zhu) contains essential oil, curcuminoid and other effective constituents, with such pharmacological actions as anti-platelet aggregation, lowing blood lipid, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. In recent years, studies have showed that certain extracts and chemical components of E'Zhu could mitigate myocardial cell mitochondria injury and protect vascular endothelium by enhancing heme oxygenase-1 activity, inhibit nuclear factor NF-kappaB, target genes interleukin-associated kinase-1 (IRAK-1), tumor necrosis factor receptor-6 (TRAF-6) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), reduce inflammatory infiltration, and inhibit growth factor-induced smooth muscle cells (SMCs) proliferation and migration by impacting oxidation of cellular phosphatases. Due to its different functions in vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, E'Zhu has been applied in drug-eluting stents, with a potential effect in preventing in-stent restenosis and thrombogenesis. In this paper, studies on pharmacological effects and mechanisms of extracts and main chemical constituents from E'Zhu in preventing vascular restenosis were summarized.

Topics: Animals; Constriction, Pathologic; Curcuma; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Endothelium, Vascular; Humans; Stents

Nerve entrapment syndromes are the most common causes of neuropathic pain. Surgical decompression is the preferred method of treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of curcumin, tramadol and chronic constriction release treatment (CCR), individually or together, in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury.. Eighty male rats were divided into eight study groups. Group 1 was the sham group. Group 2 was the control group with established chronic constriction injury (CCI). CCI was also established in Groups 3?8. Group 3 underwent chronic constriction release (CCR). Groups 4 and 5 received curcumin and tramadol. Groups 6 and 7 also received curcumin (100 mg/kg daily, oral) and tramadol (10 mg/kg daily, intraperitoneal, 14 days) after CCR, respectively. Combined curcumin-tramadol treatment was applied to Group 8. Behavioral tests (thermal hyperalgesia, dynamic plantar, cold plate test) were performed on days 0,3,7,13,17, and 21. Tissue tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were analyzed in the nerve and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) samples on day 21. Histopathological examination was performed on the nervous tissue and DRG.. Tramadol-CCR and tramadol-curcumin significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. In the CCI-CCR-tramadol treatment group, TNF-? levels were significantly lower in the sciatic nerve tissue, and DRG and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in the sciatic nerve tissue.. CCI-CCR-tramadol treatment is highly effective in the symptomatic treatment of neuropathic pain. CCR-curcumin is associated with less degeneration and high levels of regeneration in the nerve tissue.

Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Constriction, Pathologic; Curcumin; Decompression, Surgical; Male; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Neuralgia; Neurosurgical Procedures; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sciatic Nerve; Sciatic Neuropathy; Tramadol

Activation of glial cells and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway play an important role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Curcumin can alleviate the symptom of inflammatory pain by inhibiting the production and release of interleukin and tumor necrosis factor. However, whether curcumin affects neuropathic pain induced by nerve injury and the possible mechanism involved are still unknown. This study investigated the effects of tolerable doses of curcumin on the activation of astrocytes and ERK signaling in the spinal dorsal horn in rat model of neuropathic pain.. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: a control (sham operated) group, and chronic constriction injury groups (to induce neuropathic pain) that were either untreated or treated with curcumin. Thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia thresholds were measured. The distribution and morphological changes of astrocytes were observed by immunofluorescence. Western blotting was used to detect changes in the expression of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) and phosphorylated ERK.. Injured rats showed obvious mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. The number of GFAP-positive astrocytes, and the fluorescence intensity of GFAP were significantly increased in the spinal dorsal horn of injured compared with control rats. The soma of astrocytes also appeared hypertrophied in injured animals. Expression of GFAP and phosphorylated ERK was also significantly increased in the spinal dorsal horn of injured compared with control rats. Curcumin reduced the injury-induced thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia, the increase in the fluorescence intensity of GFAP and the hypertrophy of astrocytic soma, activation of GFAP and phosphorylation of ERK in the spinal dorsal horn.. Curcumin can markedly alleviate nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain in rats. The analgesic effect of curcumin may be attributed to its inhibition of astrocyte hypertrophy in the spinal dorsal horn and phosphorylation of the ERK signaling pathway.

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Astrocytes; Blotting, Western; Constriction, Pathologic; Curcumin; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; Hyperalgesia; Male; Neuralgia; Phosphorylation; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction

To evaluate the efficacy of the curcumin-coating stent (CCS) on the inhibition of restenosis in a rabbit iliac artery stent model.. Curcumin, pigment naturally acquired from the rhizome of the plant curcuma longa, is known to have antiproliferative, antimigratory, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it is still unclear that curcumin can inhibit neointimal proliferation of the injured vessel.. Dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth was observed over a dose range from 10 nM to 10 microM. CCS was prepared by a dip-coating method (high-dose: HD, low-dose: LD). The release profile of the HD CCS showed that drug release persisted until day 21. Scanning electron microscopy of the CCS showed an intact surface of the stent even after expansion. To test the efficacy of CCS in vivo, LD CCS, HD CCS, and bare metal stents (BMS) were implanted in random order in one iliac artery (N = 30 arteries) of male New Zealand White rabbits (N = 15).. After 28 days, the LD and HD CCS groups had a 43% and 55% reduction in the neointimal area, compared with the BMS group (BMS 3.3 +/- 1.0 mm(2), LD 1.9 +/- 0.8 mm(2), and HD 0.9 +/- 0.5 mm(2), P < 0.05). There appeared to be no cytotoxicity related to curcumin at the indicated doses.. Curcumin, a natural compound in the human diet, seems to be a safe and effective candidate drug for use in a drug-eluting stent for the prevention of stent restenosis following angioplasty.

Topics: Angioplasty, Balloon; Animals; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Becaplermin; Cardiovascular Agents; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Coated Materials, Biocompatible; Constriction, Pathologic; Curcumin; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug-Eluting Stents; Hypercholesterolemia; Iliac Artery; Male; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; Prosthesis Design; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis; Rabbits; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Surface Properties; Time Factors