Neuroprotection and sensorimotor functional improvement by curcumin after intracerebral hemorrhage in mice

Previous studies revealed that curcumin is neuroprotective in diseases of the central nervous system such as cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury. However, the effect of curcumin on intracerebral hemorrhage remains unclear. We, therefore, investigated the pre-clinical effect of curcumin treatment on neurological outcomes following intracerebral hemorrhage, using a mouse model. Intracerebral hemorrhage was induced by autologous blood injection into the right basal ganglia. Curcumin (150 mg/kg) was administered 15 min after intracerebral hemorrhage. Grid walk and neurological scores were evaluated at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days post-injury. Mice were killed at 24 h or 28 days following injury, for histological examination. Evans Blue and water content in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres were measured to evaluate the extent of blood-brain barrier disruption and brain edema. Zonula occludens-1 was detected by immunostaining. In situ zymography was used to measure the localization and focal enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinase. Our results demonstrated that curcumin reduced brain edema, measured by alleviated water content and Evans Blue leakage at 24 h (p<0.05). Lateral ventricle measurements indicated that curcumin reduced brain tissue loss in the ipsilateral hemisphere (p<0.05). The same dose of curcumin also significantly attenuated neurological deficits at 1 and 3 days of intracerebral hemorrhage (p<0.05). Immunostaining showed that tight junction continuity around the hematoma was better sustained in curcumin-treated mice than in vehicle-treated mice. At 24 h, the number of matrix metalloproteinase-positive cells was significantly reduced by curcumin (p<0.05). Our study suggests that curcumin ameliorates intracerebral hemorrhage damage by preventing matrix metalloproteinase-mediated blood-brain barrier damage and brain edema, which might provide therapeutic potential for intracerebral hemorrhage.