Protective effect of curcumin against perfluorooctane sulfonate induced oxidative stress

Background and Aims: The potential effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) on the environment and human health have aroused great concerns in recent years. To our knowledge, there are limited studies related with the effect of curcumin on PFOS induced damage in the literature. The existing studies are focused on DNA damage. No study has been found examining the effect on the antioxidant system. We planned this study to investigate the impact of curcumin on the antioxidant defense system response in rats exposed to PFOS. Methods: The animals were divided into six groups, with the first group used as control. Groups II to VI were orally treated with curcumin (80 mg/kg), PFOS (1.25 mg/kg), PFOS (1.25 mg/kg) + curcumin, PFOS (2.5 mg/kg), and PFOS (2.5 mg/kg) + curcumin daily for 30 days, respectively. For oxidative stress, liver, kidney, and brain samples were homogenized. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined. Data from the experiments were statistically analyzed by SPSS 11.0 program. Results: Our data showed that PFOS increased MDA level, while the activities of SOD and CAT decreased. It was observed that the application of curcumin together with PFOS decreased the MDA level and increased the antioxidant enzyme activities. Conclusion: As an antioxidant, curcumin plays an important protective role against oxidative damage and inhibits PFOS-induced lipid peroxidation.