Curcumin Alleviates Neuronal Apoptosis And Cerebral Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Septic Mice

The pathogenesis of septic brain injury is quite complicated. Apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction is reported to be critical in sepsis. Curcumin (Cur) is an antioxidant and act to scavenge free radicals in the mitochondria. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the effect of Cur on brain injury induced by sepsis in a mouse model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Mice are randomly assigned into sham group, CLP group and CLP+Cur group. Survival rate, brain water content, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, neuronal apoptosis and mitochondrial function were assessed. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by western blot. Our results suggest that Cur improved survival rate, attenuates brain edema, enhanced BBB integrity, decreased apoptosis and attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction in septic mice. In summary, Cur is a potential drug for the treatment of sepsis.