Anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin in an accelerated senescence model of Wistar rat: an in vivo and in-silico study

Curcumin, a biphenolic substance derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa), offers a number of health-beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular protection, anti-cancerous, and anti-angiogenic. By interacting with the PPAR gamma (Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-gamma), curcumin inhibits NF-kappa B. These biological outcomes seem to be the outcome of NF-kappa B inhibition mediated by curcumin. The current study explores the in vivo impact of curcumin on several inflammatory parameters during aging in Wistar rats. An in-silico docking simulation study using Maestro and Desmond, Schrodinger, was carried out to further validate the experimental findings. According to our observation, rats given curcumin supplementation had a considerably (p <= 0.05) reduced level of inflammation. By generating numerous polar and hydrophobic interactions and exhibiting little conformational deviation throughout the simulation, in silico investigations showed that the proposed ligand curcumin had a high affinity for the enzyme COX-2. During simulation, protein-ligand complexes of curcumin with the other targets viz. 5-LOX, TNF-alpha and IL-6 also demonstrated improved binding and minimal fluctuation. The COX-2 and 5-LOX enzymes and the cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6) implicated in inflammation may have been inhibited by curcumin, highlighting its function as a multi-target inhibitor. Our study provides convincing support for the idea that eating a diet high in curcumin may help to reduce inflammation and help to explain some of its health-beneficial effects.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma