Inhibitory Effect of Curcumin on Angiogenesis in a Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat Model: An Aortic Ring Assay Publisher



Dehghan MH¹ ; Mirmiranpour H^{1, 2} ; Faghihikashani S² ; Kabir K³ ; Larry M² ; Zayerzadeh E⁴ ; Salehi S² Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Published:2016

Abstract

Background Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) has been associated with the inhibition of angiogenesis, as well as the prevention of cancers and inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of curcumin in suppressing angiogenesis in the cultured endothelial cells of rat aortic rings. Methods Eight-week-old male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups each with a different treatment and cell culturing paradigm: controls cultured in the absence of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) (C), controls cultured in the presence of VEGF (C-V), controls treated with curcumin and then cultured in media lacking VEGF (C-TC), diabetics cultured in media supplemented with VEGF (D-V) and diabetics treated with curcumin and then cultured in media supplemented with VEGF (D-V-TC). Each group consisted of 8 animals. Diabetes was induced in by streptozotocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg body weight, IV). After 8 weeks, animals were sacrificed and their aortas were excised. Ring-shaped explants were embedded in a 96-well culture plate. Angiogenesis response was measured by counting the number of primary microtubules in each well. Results Optic microscopy revealed that the D-V group had the highest number of microvessels, while angiogenesis was not observed in the C or C-TC groups. The number of primary microtubules was significantly lower in the D-V-TC group compared to the D-V group (P < 0.05). The D-V-TC group had a significantly higher number of microvessels compared to the C-TC group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Curcumin attenuates angiogenesis response in stertozotocin-induced diabetic rats. © 2016 Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University