Abstract:OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of curcumin on intestinal histopathological changes, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentrations in neonatal rats with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) , in order to investigate the effects of curcumin against NEC. METHODS: Forty neonatal rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 each): normal control, solvent control, NEC model, and curcumin intervention. The general situations of rats were observed for 3 consecutive days, and the rats were then sacrificed on the 4th day. Intestinal tissues were obtained for examining the histopathological changes, COX-2 expression, and TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations. RESULTS: Curcumin treatment ameliorated the general situations and histopathological signs in rats with NEC. TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations in the NEC model and the curcumin intervention groups increased significantly compared with those in the normal and solvent control groups (P<0.05). The concentration of TNF-α decreased (P<0.05), while the concentration of IL-10 increased significantly in the curcumin intervention group in comparison with the NEC model group (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry results indicated that the positive expression of COX-2 in the curcumin intervention group was significantly lower than that in the NEC model group. CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin has protective effects against NEC in neonatal rats, possibly through inhibiting COX-2 expression, reducing TNF-α content, and increasing IL-10 content.［Chin J Contemp Pediatr, 2010, 12 (2):132-136］
