Effects of curcumin supplementation on the severity of intra-abdominal adhesions in rats

To evaluate the effect of curcumin administered by gavage, on reducing intra-abdominal adhesions and attenuating the inflammatory process, assessed by a serum marker.

Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: the curcumin group, and the control group. The curcumin group received curcumin by gavage at the dose of 200 mg/kg over the seven days preceding and the seven days following surgery. In the control group, an isovolumetric administration of 0.9% saline solution was given by gavage. Both groups underwent a median laparotomy and left-sided colotomy. On the eighth postoperative day, the animals were euthanized for intracavitary adhesion analysis and left colon resection for histological examination. Intra-abdominal adhesions were classified from grade 0 to 4 based on increases in number, intensity, and ease of lysis.

Curcumin administration did not significantly reduce the severity of intra-abdominal adhesions (p = 0.7143) nor the severity of colonic inflammatory infiltration. However, a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels was observed preoperatively in the curcumin group (p 0.05).

While curcumin was not able to reduce the severity of intra-abdominal adhesions, it demonstrated the ability to attenuate the inflammatory process associated with the surgical procedure.