The anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Background Acrylamide (ACR) formed during heating of tobacco and carbohydrate-rich food as well as widely applied in industries has been known as a well-established neurotoxic pollutant. Although the precise mechanism is unclear, enhanced apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation have been demonstrated to contribute to the ACR-induced neurotoxicity. In this study, we assessed the possible anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, the most active component in a popular spice known as turmeric, on the neurotoxicity caused by ACR in rats. Methods Curcumin at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg was orally given to ACR- intoxicated Sprague-Dawley rats exposed by ACR at 40 mg/kg for 4 weeks. All rats were subjected to behavioral analysis. The HE staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining were used to detect histopathological changes and apoptotic cells, respectively. The mRNA and protein expressions of apoptosis-related molecule telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) were detected using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured as the indicators for evaluating the level of oxidative stress in brain. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokinestumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in the cerebral homogenates were detected using ELISA assay. Results ACR-induced weigh loss, deficits in motor function as well as pathological alterations in brains were significantly improved in rats administrated with 50 and 100 mg/kg curcumin. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in curcumin-treated ACR intoxicated brains were less than those in the ACR model group. Curcumin administration especially at the dose of 100 mg/kg upregulated the TERT mRNA expression and enhanced the number of TERT-positive cells in ACR-intoxicated cortex tissues. Moreover, curcumin treatment reduced the concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and MDA, while increased the GSH contents as well as the SOD and GSH-Px activities in the cerebral homogenates, in comparison to ACR control group. Conclusions These data suggested the anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on ACR-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Maintaining TERT-related anti-apoptotic function might be one mechanism underlying the protective effect of curcumin on ACR-intoxicated brains.