Curcumin alleviates neuroinflammation, enhances hippocampal neurogenesis, and improves spatial memory after traumatic brain injury.

Curcumin alleviates neuroinflammation, enhances hippocampal neurogenesis, and improves spatial memory after traumatic brain injury.
Brain Res Bull. 2020 Jun 02;:
Authors: Sun G, Zhao P, Fan L, Bao Z, Tu Y, Li C, Chao H, Xu X, Ji J
Abstract
Cognitive decline is one of the most obvious symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Previous studies have demonstrated that cognitive decline is related to substantially increased neuroinflammation and decreased neurogenesis in the hippocampus in a rat model of TBI. Using this model, we explored the role of curcumin (Cur) in ameliorating TBI-impaired spatial memory because Cur has been shown to exhibit anti-chronic-neuroinflammatory, neurogenesis-promoting, and memory-improving properties. Animals received daily Cur or vehicle treatment for 28 days after TBI and also received 50-bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) for the first 7 days of the treatment for assaying neurogenesis. An optimal Cur dose of 30 mg/kg, selected from a range of 10-50 mg/kg, was used for the present study. Neuroinflammation was evaluated by astrocyte hypertrophy, activated microglia, and inflammatory factors in the hippocampus. Behavioral water-maze studies were conducted for 5 days, starting at 35-day post-TBI. The tropomyosin receptor kinase B (Trkb) inhibitor, ANA-12, was used to test the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/ TrkB/Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway in regulating inflammation ...

Source: Brain Research Bulletin - June 1, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Sun G, Zhao P, Fan L, Bao Z, Tu Y, Li C, Chao H, Xu X, Ji J Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: research