Influence of curcumin treatment on collagen metabolism in experimental myocardial necrosis in rats

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate whether curcumin, a potent antioxidant, had any specific role in the synthesis and degradation of collagen in rat heart with myocardial necrosis, induced by isoproterenol.HCl (ISO). Myocardial necrosis was induced by administration of ISO (30mg/100g body weight subcutaneously twice at an interval of 24 h) and studies on collagen metabolism were carried out with curcumin (200mg/kg) pre- and co-treatment with ISO. The incorporation of 14C-proIine into collagen was studied as an index of collagen synthesis. Increased fractional synthesis rate and enhanced degradation of newly synthesized collagen were observed in ISO administered animals. Curcumin pre- and co-treatment with ISO was noticed to decrease the degree of degradation of the existing collagen matrix and collagen synthesis, two weeks after the second dose of ISO. The observed effects could be due to free radical scavenging capacity and inhibition of lysosomal enzyme release by curcumin. © Indian Academy of Sciences.