Anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin in a murine model of chronic asthma

Background: Curcumin, a dietary pigment responsible for the yellow colour of curry, has been used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects. Methods: Forty-two BALB/c mice were divided into six groups: I, II, III, IV, V, and control group. All groups except the controls were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. Group I received nebulised saline in challenge period. Mice in groups II, III, IV, and V were administered curcumin at a dose of 10 mg/kg, curcumin 20 mg/kg, dexamethasone 1 mg/kg, and dimethyl sulfoxide 1 mg/kg, respectively, intraperitoneally once a day for the final 5 days of the challenge period. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last drug administration and the airway samples were evaluated histologically by light microscopy. Results: All histological parameters in Group III improved similar to Group IV when compared to Group I. In Group II, only thickness of epithelium was significantly lower compared with regard to Group I. All variables except epithelium thicknesses were found to be significantly better in Group III compared to Group II. Conclusions: In our study, we demonstrated that curcumin administration alleviates the pathological changes of chronic asthma. Curcumin might be a promising therapy for asthma in the future. (C) 2011 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.