Effects of curcumin or dexamethasone on lung ischaemia-reperfusion injury in rats

The present study aimed to investigate potential effects of curcumin (CUR) and dexamethasone (DXM) on ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) induced lung injury in rats. Experimental rats were pre-treated with a single i.p. dose of vehicle, CUR (50 mg.kg(-1) or 200 mg.kg(-1)) or DXM (5 mg.kg(-1)), 2 h before anaesthesia and subjected to left lung hilus clamping with 90-min ischaemia followed by 4 h of reperfusion. Pre-treatment with CUR (200 mg.kg(-1)) or DXM markedly attenuated I/R-induced barrier disruption, lung oedema, tissue inflammation, hypoxaemia 4 h after reperfusion, and overactivation of nuclear factor-kappaB, inflammatory cytokines, myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde. It appears that curcumin attenuates acute lung injury, probably through improving oxidative stress and inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated expression of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, curcumin may be an alternative therapy for improving the outcomes of ischaemia-reperfusion-induced lung injury.