Experimental Study on Protective Effect of Curcumin on Liver Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Objective To investigate the potential protective effect of curcumin on liver ischemia reperfusion(I/R)injury in male rat model and to clarify its possible mechanism.Methods Ninety-eight Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups:sham operation group(N),ischemia reperfusion group(IR),solvent control group(D)and curcumin group(C).Blood and liver tissue samples of rats were taken at 1,3 and 6 h after reperfusion.The level of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),histopathological examination,expression of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)were compared.Results Compared with group IR and group D,serum ALT and TNF-α levels and histological damage of group C were significantly decreased(P0.05);the expression of NF-κB of group C was significantly lower than that of group IR(P0.05).Conclusions Curcumin can protect the liver from ischemia reperfusion injury possibly by inhibiting NF-κB expression and reducing the release of inflammatory mediators.