curcumin and Intervertebral-Disc-Degeneration

Zhiqiao Gancao (ZQGC) decoction is widely used in China due to its therapeutic effect on lumbar disc herniation (LDH). In this study, we compared the clinical therapeutic effects among oral ZQGC decoction treatment, bed rest, and oral anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib treatment using visual analog scale, Oswestry Disability Index, and MacNab scores. The results showed that ZQGC decoction can significantly improve the symptoms of patients with LDH. A selective, sensitive, and rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of eight bioactive components in rat plasma. The plasma samples were extracted by simple protein precipitation with methanol. The protonated analytes were quantitated simultaneously in positive and negative ion modes by multiple reaction monitoring with a mass spectrometer. The calibration curve of eight components in plasma showed good linearity (r > .996) and the extraction recovery was 81.19% ± 2.15% - 100.39 ± 3.36 (relative standard deviation: 1.21%-10.70%). The accuracy of all the lower limit of quantitation values was quantified within 80%-120%, and the precision was less than 15%. This validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetics study in rat plasma after ZQGC decoction oral treatment. Our research can provide experimental basis for the rational clinical application of ZQGC decoction in the treatment of LDH.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Analgesics; Animals; Curcumin; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Flavones; Glycyrrhetinic Acid; Humans; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration; Intervertebral Disc Displacement; Linear Models; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity

Intermittent cyclic tension stimulation(ICMT) was shown to promote degeneration of endplate chondrocytes and induce autophagy. However, enhancing autophagy can alleviate degeneration partly. Studies have shown that curcumin can induce autophagy and protect chondrocytes, we speculated that regulation of autophagy by curcumin might be an effective method to improve the stress resistance of endplate cartilage. In this study, human cervical endplate cartilage specimens were collected, and expression of autophagy markers was detected and compared.. Human cervical endplate chondrocytes were cultured to establish a tension-induced degeneration model, for which changes of functional metabolism and autophagy levels were detected under different tension loading conditions. Changes in functional metabolism of endplate chondrocytes were observed under high-intensity tension loading in the presence of inhibitors, inducers, and curcumin to regulate the autophagy level of cells. In addition, a rat model of lumbar instability was established to observe the degeneration of lumbar disc after curcumin administration.. Through a series of experiments, we found that low-intensity tension stimulation can maintain a stable phenotype of endplate chondrocytes, but high-intensity tension stimulation has a negative effect. Moreover, with increasing tension intensity, the degree of degeneration of endplate chondrocytes was gradually aggravated and the level of autophagy increased. Besides, curcumin upregulated autophagy, inhibited apoptosis, and reduced phenotype loss of endplate chondrocytes induced by high-intensity tension loading, thereby relieving intervertebral disc degeneration induced by mechanical imbalance.. Curcumin mediated autophagy and enhanced the adaptability of endplate chondrocytes to high-intensity tension load, thereby relieving intervertebral disc degeneration.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Autophagy; Cartilage; Curcumin; Female; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration; Lumbar Vertebrae; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Curcumin is a natural product with antimutagenic, antitumor, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. However, to the best of our knowledge, curcumin has yet to be investigated for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration LIDD). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether curcumin can alleviate LIDD through regulating the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)‑2, transforming growth factor (TGF)‑β1/2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑9 and brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in a rat model of LIDD. The results of the present study suggest that pretreatment with curcumin can prevent the development of LIDD in rats. It was revealed that treatment with curcumin significantly reduced interleukin (IL)‑1β and IL‑6, iNOS, COX‑2 and MMP‑9 levels in rats with LIDD. In addition, treatment with curcumin reduced the mRNA expression levels of TGF‑β1 and TGF‑β2, whereas it increased the mRNA expression levels of BDNF in rats with LIDD. In conclusion, the present findings indicate that curcumin may exert protective effects on LIDD development, exerting its action through the regulation of iNOS, COX‑2, TGF‑β1/2, MMP‑9 and BDNF.

Topics: Animals; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Collagen Type II; Curcumin; Cyclooxygenase 2; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression; Interleukin-1beta; Interleukin-6; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration; Lumbar Vertebrae; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Neuroprotective Agents; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Transforming Growth Factor beta2

To observe the effect of curcumin on the expression levels of nuclear factor κB-p65 (NF-κB-p65) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in the nucleus pulposus in rats with lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration. And to investigate of the mechanism underlying the role of curcumin in decelerating the process of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration.. The model of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats followed by a curcumin treatment. The ultra-microstructure histomorphological variations in the lumbar intervertebral disc of SD rats were evaluated. The protein and gene expression levels of NF-κB-p65 and TNF-α in the lumbar intervertebral disc were measured.. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histomorphology confirmed the establishment of a successful lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration model. The results from the MRI and the ultra-microstructures revealed a significant improvement in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration in the curcumin-treated groups (low dose and high dose). No significant change was observed in the solvent control group treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) alone. Based on the results of Western blot analysis and real-time PCR, the curcumin treatment (low dose and high dose) significantly reduced the expression levels of NF-κB-p65 and TNF-α in the lumbar intervertebral disc tissue compared with the groups without curcumin treatment and with the DMSO treatment alone. No significant difference, however, was observed between the low-dose and high-dose curcumin treatment groups.. Curcumin may inhibit the activation of NF-κB by inhibiting the translocation of NF-κB-p65 and reducing the release of inflammatory factors which, thereby, decelerates the process of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration.

Topics: Animals; Curcumin; Gene Expression Regulation; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration; Lumbar Vertebrae; Male; NF-kappa B; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Transcription Factor RelA; Treatment Outcome; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha