Investigation of the effect of curcumin on oxidative stress, local inflammatory response, COX-2 expression, and microvessel density in Trichinella spiralis induced enteritis, myositis and myocarditis in mice
| May 04, 2022
Article Category: Research Article
Published Online: May 04, 2022
Page range: 18 - 36
Received: Jun 01, 2021
Accepted: Nov 30, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/helm-2022-0002
Keywords
© 2022 A. M. R. Hamed, I. R. Abdel-Shafi, M. D. A. Elsayed, A. M. Mahfoz, S. E. Tawfeek, M. S. A. Abdeltawab, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Background
Curcumin exerts anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have proven to be of value in the management of several parasitic infections.
Objective
Investigation of the value of curcumin in the management of trichinosis either alone or as an adjuvant to albendazole.
Methods
Animals received either curcumin 150 mg/kg, curcumin 300 mg/kg, albendazole 50 mg/ kg or combined curcumin 150mg/kg and albendazole 50 mg/kg and were compared with control infected and non-infected mice. Estimation of intestinal and muscular parasitic load and blood malondialdehyde level, in addition to the histopathological examination of small intestine, skeletal muscle tissue and heart was performed. Also, assessment of the local expression of cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX-2) and CD34 in these samples was done by immunohistochemistry.
Results
Curcumin was found efficient in reducing parasitic load. It also lowered serum MDA level, local COX-2 and CD34 expression. An evident anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin was observed in intestinal, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle histopathological sections.
Conclusion
The anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-angiogenic effects of curcumin can help to improve trichinellosis-induced pathology. Curcumin can therefore be of value as an adjuvant therapy to conventional antiparasitic agents and can also produce promising results when used alone at higher doses.