Curcumin can improve ecstasy-induced hippocampal damage in rat

Objective Ecstasy can damage the hippocampus, which impairs memory and learning. Using anti-inflammatory compounds such as curcumin may improve the side effects of ecstasy. In this study, we investigated the effect of curcumin on spatial learning and expression of NF-kB and GFAP genes in the hippocampus of rats. Methods Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: (1) control, (2) sham receiving saline, (3) sham receiving DMSO, (4) received ecstasy (15 mg/kg dose twice daily for four days), and (5) ecstasy receiving curcumin (200 mg/kg daily for one week). Spatial memory was estimated by Morris water maze, and GFAP and NF-kB levels in the hippocampus were assessed by qRT-PCR. Results Morris water maze results showed that the time spent finding the platform in the ecstasy group increased compared to the control ( p < 0.001), while this time decreased in the ecstasy-curcumin group compared to the ecstasy group ( p < 0.01). QRT-PCR results showed that the expression of GFAP and NF-kB is increased in the ecstasy group compared to the controls ( p < 0.01). Curcumin increased the expression level of the NF-kB gene ( p < 0.001), while the expression level of GFAP decreased and approached the level of the control group. Conclusions This study showed that ecstasy exposure leads to memory impairment. Co-administration of curcumin provided partial protection against memory impairment caused by ecstasy. It seems that the increase in NF-kB in the hippocampus following the administration of curcumin is a sign of cell regeneration and preserves cell life.