Curcumin prevents indomethacin-induced gastropathy in rats

AIM： To investigate the effects of curcumin on gastric microcirculation and inflammation in rats with indo- methacin-induced gastric damage. METHODS： Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 （control group, n = 5） was fed with olive oil and 5% NaHCOf （vehicle）. Group 2 [indomethacin （IMN） group, n = 5] was fed with olive oil 30 min prior to indomethacin 150 mg/kg body weight （BW） dissolved in 5% NaHCO3- at time 0th and 4th h. Group 3 （INN ± Cur group, n = 4） was fed with curcumin 200 mg/kg BW dissolved in olive oil 0.5 mL, 30 min prior to indomethacin at 0th and 4th h. Leukocyte-endothelium interactions at postcapillary venules were recorded after acridine orange injection. Blood samples were determined for intercellular ad- hesion molecule （ICAM）-1 and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-a levels using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. Finally, the stomach was removed for histopathological examination for gastric lesions and grading for neutrophil infiltration. RESULTS： In group 2, the leukocyte adherence in postcapillary venules was significantly increased com- pared to the control group （6.40±2.30 cells/frame vs 1.20 ± 0.83 cells/frame, P = 0.001）. Pretreatment with curcumin caused leukocyte adherence to postcapil- lary venule to decline （3.00±0.81 cells/frame vs 6.40 ± 2.30 cells/frame, P = 0.027）. The levels of ICAM-1 and TNF-aincreased significantly in the indomethacin- treated group compared with the control group （1106.50 ± 504.22 pg/mL vs 336.93 a= 224.82 pg/mL, P = 0.011 and 230.92±114.47 pg/mL vs 47.13±65.59 pg/mL, P = 0.009 respectively）. Pretreatment with curcumin sig- nificantly decreased the elevation of ICAM-1 and TNF-a levels compared to treatment with indomethacin alone （413.66 ± 147.74 pg/mL vs 1106.50 ± 504.22 pg/mL, P = 0.019 and 58.27 ± 67.74 pg/mL vs 230.92 ± 114.47 pg/mL, P = 0.013 respectively）. The histological appear- ance of the stomach in the control group was normal. In the indomethacin-treated group, the stomachs showed a mild to moderate neutrophil infiltration score. Gastric lesions were erosive and ulcerative. In rats treated with indomethacin and curcumin, stomach histopathology improved and showed only a mild neutrophil infiltration score and fewer erosive lesions in the gastric mucosa. CONCLUSION： The results indicate that curcumin pre- vents indomethacin-induced gastropathy through the improvement of gastric microcirculation by attenuating the level of ICAM-1 and TNF-a,

Clustering of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Risk of Hypertension in a Mongolian Population in China

Abstract Objective There is little knowledge on whether there is clustering of inflammatory biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein （CRP）, soluble intracellular adhesion molecule1-1 （slCAM-1）, and angiotensin It （Ang Ⅱ）, in individuals with hypertension in the Mongolian population. In the present study, we investigated this relationship in a Mongolian population in China. Methods A total of 2589 adult Mongolians, aged 20 years and older, were recruited as study participants. Data on demographics, lifestyle, family history of hypertension, blood pressure, and blood chemistry were collected, and inflammatory biomarkers were measured in all participants. Results The proportion of subjects with increased levels of two or three biomarkers was significantly higher in those with hypertension （21.0% and 6.0%, respectively） than in those with prehypertension （12.7% and 0.5%, respectively） or normotension （8.1% and 0.2%, respectively）. The multivariate adjusted odds ratios （95% confidence interval） of hypertension associated with increased levels of one, two or three biomarkers were 0.94 （0.72-1.22）, 1.42 （0.93-2.16）, and 11.08 （1.45-84.80）, respectively, compared with subjects with no increase in any biomarker. Conclusion Hypertension was associated with a cluster of inflammatory biomarkers in the Mongolian population.