Protective effect of curcumin against lead neurotoxicity in rat

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), an active ingredient of turmeric, is known to have multiple activities, including an antioxidant property, and has been suggested to be of use in treatment of several diseases. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the protective effect of curcumin against lead-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Exposure of rats to lead (50 mg/kg po) for 45 days caused an increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and a decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in cerebellum, corpus striatum, hippocampus and frontal cortex as compared with controls. Lead levels were significantly increased in these rats. Activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) decreased in all the brain regions following lead exposure. Interestingly, cotreatment with curcumin (100 mg/kg po) and lead (50 mg/kg po) for 45 days caused a significant decrease in LPO with concomitant decrease in lead levels in all the brain regions as compared with those treated with lead alone. A significant increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, SOD and CAT activities was also observed in all the four brain regions in rats simultaneously treated with curcumin and lead. The results suggest that curcumin may prevent lead-induced neurotoxicity.