Curcumin protects the dorsal root ganglion and sciatic nerve after crush in rat

The goal of this study was to quantify the histological changes in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the sciatic nerve in rats subjected to sciatic nerve crush (SNC) following curcumin treatment. The rats were divided into four groups, each including five animals, and underwent the following intervention: group I: control animals which received olive oil; group II: sham-operated animals whose skin of the posterior thigh was opened, sutured, and received the vehicle; group III: SNC animals which received the vehicle; and group IV: SNC plus curcumin (100 mg/kg/day) solved in the vehicle. On the 28th day, the fifth lumbar DRG and sciatic nerve were removed. Volume of the ganglion, mean cell volume, total volume of DRG cells (A- and B-cells), and total surface of DRG cells, total number, diameter, and area of the myelinated nerve fibers were estimated using stereological methods. Except for the volume of the ganglion, all other parameters were decreased after nerve crush. In curcumin-treated rats, these parameters decreased, but to a lesser extent, and the values were significantly higher than in the non-treated SNC group (p<0.04). It can be concluded that in rats after crush, curcumin has a protective effect on the DRG and sciatic nerve.