Curcumin Attenuates Angiotensin II-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by Inhibition of Inflammatory Response and ERK Signaling Pathways
Background and Objectives. Curcumin has long been used to treat age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In this study, we explored the effects of curcumin on the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).Methods. ApoE−/−mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: AngII group, AngII + curcumin (AngII + Cur) group (100 mg/kg/d), and the control group. Miniosmotic pumps were implanted subcutaneously in ApoE−/−mice to deliver AngII for 28 days. After 4-week treatment, abdominal aortas with AAA were obtained for H&E staining, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting.Results. The results showed that curcumin treatment significantly decreased the occurrence of AAA. The levels of macrophage infiltration, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factors-α(TNF-α) were significantly lower in AngII + Cur group than those in AngII group (allP<0.01). The level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was significantly higher in AngII + Cur group than those in AngII groupP<0.01. The ERK1/2 phosphorylation in AngII + Cur group was significantly lower than that in AngII groupP<0.01.Conclusions. These results suggested that curcumin can inhibit the AngII-induced AAA in ApoE−/−mice, whose mechanisms include the curcumin anti-inflammation, antioxidative stress, and downregulation of ERK signaling pathway.