Curcumin promotes the spinal cord repair via inhibition of glial scar formation and inflammation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious clinical situation without any effective therapy to date. Traumatic SCI triggers a complex pathological process including inflammatory response and glial scar formation. In this study, we demonstrated that curcumin, a natural product which functions as an anti-inflammatory agent, inhibited the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 and NF-kappa B in the injured spinal cord. Curcumin treatment greatly reduced the astrogliosis in SCI mice and significantly decreased the expression of IL-1β and NO, as well as the number of Iba1+ inflammatory cells at the lesion site. Notably, more residual axons and neurons were protected and significantly improved functional recovery was observed in the curcumin-treated mice, compared to the mice without curcumin treatment. These findings indicate that curcumin promotes spinal cord repair through inhibiting glial scar formation and inflammation and suggests the therapeutic potential of curcumin for SCI.