Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  2016 Mar;20(2):147-152. 10.4196/kjpp.2016.20.2.147.

Curcumin protects against the intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury: involvement of the tight junction protein ZO-1 and TNF-alpha related mechanism

• Tian S
• Guo R
• Wei S
• Kong Y
• Wei X
• Wang W
• Shi X
• Jiang H

• KMID: 2388670
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.2016.20.2.147

Abstract

Present study aimed to investigate the eff ect of curcumin-pretreatment on intestinal I/R injury and on intestinal mucosa barrier. Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into: sham, I/R, and curcumin groups (n=10). Animals in curcumin group were pretreated with curcumin by gastric gavage (200 mg/kg) for 2 days before I/R. Small intestine tissues were prepared for Haematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining. Serum diamine oxidase (DAO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels were measured. Expression of intestinal TNF-alpha and tight junction protein (ZO-1) proteins was detected by Western blot and/or immunohistochemistry. Serum DAO level and serum and intestinal TNF-alpha leves were signifi cantly increased after I/R, and the values were markedly reduced by curcumin pretreatment although still higher than that of sham group (p<0.05 or p<0.001). H&E staining showed the significant injury to intestinal mucosa following I/R, and curcumin pretreatment signifi cantly improved the histological structure of intestinal mucosa. I/R insult also induced significantly down-regulated expression of ZO-1, and the eff ect was dramatically attenuated by curcumin-pretreatment. Curcumin may protect the intestine from I/R injury through restoration of the epithelial structure, promotion of the recovery of intestinal permeability, as well as enhancement of ZO-1 protein expression, and this eff ect may be partly attributed to the TNF-alpha related pathway.

Keyword

Curcumin; Intestine; Intestinal mucosa barrier; Intestinal permeability; Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury; Tight junction protein (ZO-1)

MeSH Terms

Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)
Animals
Blotting, Western
Curcumin*
Eosine Yellowish-(YS)
Immunohistochemistry
Intestinal Mucosa
Intestine, Small
Intestines
Permeability
Rats, Wistar
Reperfusion Injury*
Tight Junctions*
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*
Zonula Occludens-1 Protein*
Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)
Curcumin
Eosine Yellowish-(YS)
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Zonula Occludens-1 Protein

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Effect of curcumin pretreatment on the intestinal I/R injury.Histopathological findings of H&E staining shows normal histopathology of the sham group (A), Intestinal I/R insult results in the denuded villi and architectural disintegration (B), Curcumin pretreatment partly ameliorates this I/R-induced damage to the intestinal tissue (C). I/R, ischemia reperfusion; H&E, Haematoxylin & Eosin.

• 

  Fig. 2 Effect of curcumin pretreatment on intestinal expression of TNF-α protein after I/R as determined by Western blot assay.I/R, ischemia reperfusion; TNF-α, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α.

• 

  Fig. 3 Effect of curcumin pretreatment on intestinal expression of ZO-1 protein after I/R as determined by immunohistochemical assay.ZO-1 expressions in intestinal tissues of the sham operated group (A), I/R injury group (B), and curcumin-pretreated I/R injury one (C). I/R, ischemia reperfusion; ZO-1, Zonula occludens protein-1.

• 

  Fig. 4 Effect of curcumin pretreatment on intestinal expression of ZO-1 protein after I/R as determined by Western blot assay.I/R, ischemia reperfusion; ZO-1, Zonula occludens protein-1.

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