Curcumin inhibits endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

The aim of the present study was to observe the dynamic changes of the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 153 (GADD153) gene and caspase-12 in the brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) and the impact of curcumin pretreatment. A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into the normal group (N), the sham operation group (S), the dimethyl sulfoxide control group (D) and the curcumin treatment group (C). For group D and C, 12 (T1), 24 (T2) and 72 h (T3) of reperfusion were performed after 2 h ischemia. The expression levels of GADD153 and caspase-12 in the brain tissue were detected and compared among the groups by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence double staining and western blotting. The expression levels of GADD153 and caspase-12 were increased at T1compared with groups N and S, and the expression of caspase-12 peaked at T2 in group D, while GADD153 was increased until T3 in group D. Compared with group D, the expression levels of GADD153 and caspase-12 in group C at T2 and T3 were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Endoplasmic reticulum stress is involved in the pathological process of CIRI. Curcumin may decrease the expression levels of the above two factors, thus exhibiting protective effects against CIRI in rats.