curcumin and Pre-Eclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is a common medical complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and proteinuria after the 20th gestational week. This study aimed to investigate the potency of the combination of curcumin and aspirin in the treatment of PE and explore the underlying mechanisms.. The PE model was constructed in female rats by administering 0.5 mg/mL N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester from gestational days (GDs) 6 to 16. The pregnant female rats were divided into five groups according to the drug treatment. The curcumin or aspirin was given to the rats by tail vein injection (0.36 mg/kg) or gavage treatment (1.5 mg/kg BW/day) from GD4 to GD18.. Treatment with curcumin and aspirin combination significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure and proteinuria in the PE rats. Meanwhile, in comparison to the PE rats treated with single-dose curcumin or aspirin, the rats treated with combined curcumin and aspirin showed significantly decreased sFlt-1, increased placental growth factor, and alleviated oxidative stress in both blood and placental tissues, which are abnormal in no-treated PE rats. Furthermore, dramatically decreased inflammatory cytokines secretion and TLR4 and NF-κB p65 expression in placental tissues were also observed in the PE rats with combined treatment compared to those of no-treated, signal-dose curcumin or aspirin-treated PE rats.. Our results suggested that the combined treatment of curcumin and aspirin significantly ameliorates the symptoms of PE in rats, which is most likely due to the inhibition of the placental TLR4/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Aspirin; Curcumin; Female; Humans; NF-kappa B; Placenta; Placenta Growth Factor; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Proteinuria; Rats; Signal Transduction; Toll-Like Receptor 4

Abnormal inflammation mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway contributes to preeclampsia (PE). Because curcumin can inhibit TLR4 signaling pathway, we investigated its effects on a PE rat model.. Twenty-one pregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups: 1) seven rats were injected 0.5 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gestational day (GD) 5 to create a PE model (LPS-treated group), 2) seven rats were injected with a similar dosage of LPS and further treated with curcumin (0.36 mg/kg) (LPS-curcumin-treated group), 3) seven rats received saline (control group). Blood pressure and urinary protein level were observed. Immunostaining and periodic acid-Schiff staining of placenta were conducted. TLR4 and downstream Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) expressions of placenta were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. IL-6 and MCP-1 in rat serum and placenta were determined by ELISA and qRT-PCR.. Compared to LPS-treated group, LPS-curcumin-treated group had decreased blood pressure and urinary protein level, similar to control group. Furthermore, deficient trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling induced by LPS were improved by curcumin. Increased TLR4, NF-κB and IL-6, MCP-1 protein expressions in LPS-treated group were significantly decreased after curcumin administration.. Curcumin improves the PE-like phenotype in rat model by reducing abnormal inflammation related to TLR4 signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Chemokine CCL2; Curcumin; Female; Interleukin-6; Lipopolysaccharides; NF-kappa B; Phenotype; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Proteinuria; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Toll-Like Receptor 4