Previous studies revealed that
curcumin is neuroprotective in diseases of the central nervous system such as
cerebral ischemia and
traumatic brain injury. However, the effect of
curcumin on
intracerebral hemorrhage remains unclear. We, therefore, investigated the pre-clinical effect of
curcumin treatment on neurological outcomes following
intracerebral hemorrhage, using a mouse model.
Intracerebral hemorrhage was induced by autologous blood injection into the right basal ganglia.
Curcumin (150 mg/kg) was administered 15 min after
intracerebral hemorrhage. Grid walk and neurological scores were evaluated at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days post-injury. Mice were killed at 24 h or 28 days following injury, for histological examination.
Evans Blue and water content in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres were measured to evaluate the extent of blood-brain barrier disruption and
brain edema. Zonula occludens-1 was detected by immunostaining. In situ zymography was used to measure the localization and focal enzymatic activity of
matrix metalloproteinase. Our results demonstrated that
curcumin reduced
brain edema, measured by alleviated water content and
Evans Blue leakage at 24 h (p<0.05). Lateral ventricle measurements indicated that
curcumin reduced brain tissue loss in the ipsilateral hemisphere (p<0.05). The same dose of
curcumin also significantly attenuated neurological deficits at 1 and 3 days of
intracerebral hemorrhage (p<0.05). Immunostaining showed that tight junction continuity around the
hematoma was better sustained in
curcumin-treated mice than in vehicle-treated mice. At 24 h, the number of
matrix metalloproteinase-positive cells was significantly reduced by
curcumin (p<0.05). Our study suggests that
curcumin ameliorates
intracerebral hemorrhage damage by preventing
matrix metalloproteinase-mediated blood-brain barrier damage and
brain edema, which might provide therapeutic potential for
intracerebral hemorrhage.