Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Following Nerve Injury in Rats
Advisor Information
Suzanne Sollars
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
1-3-2019 12:30 PM
End Date
1-3-2019 1:45 PM
Abstract
Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Following Nerve Injury in Rats
Kristi L. Apa, Andrew J. Riquier, & Suzanne I. Sollars
Injury to the chorda tympani nerve (CTX) early in life results in a permanent reduction of taste bud size and quantity, and near complete loss of chorda tympani fibers in the brain. In other systems, post-injury inflammation has been known to increase degeneration and be deleterious to recovery, suggesting the possibility of this occurring in the CTX paradigm. In the brain, microglia are a primary source of inflammation, and we have previously shown an increase in microglia following CTX. Curcumin (derived from the spice turmeric) has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to enhance recovery in other injury models. In the current study, we proposed that daily injections of curcumin prior to and following CTX would attenuate the taste bud loss typically seen, as well as reduce the microglia response relative to controls. Rats were treated via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection with either curcumin (400mg/kg) or a vehicle solution starting at postnatal age 3 days (P3) and continuing daily throughout the duration of the study. Based on previous research, rats underwent CTX at P10, with tongue and brain tissue collected at either 8- or 16-days post-surgery. Taste bud presence will be assessed using surface analysis to determine potential recovery, and brains will be stained for microglia. While data collection is still in progress, results could be used to promote recovery in a variety of developmental injury models.
Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Following Nerve Injury in Rats
Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Following Nerve Injury in Rats
Kristi L. Apa, Andrew J. Riquier, & Suzanne I. Sollars
Injury to the chorda tympani nerve (CTX) early in life results in a permanent reduction of taste bud size and quantity, and near complete loss of chorda tympani fibers in the brain. In other systems, post-injury inflammation has been known to increase degeneration and be deleterious to recovery, suggesting the possibility of this occurring in the CTX paradigm. In the brain, microglia are a primary source of inflammation, and we have previously shown an increase in microglia following CTX. Curcumin (derived from the spice turmeric) has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to enhance recovery in other injury models. In the current study, we proposed that daily injections of curcumin prior to and following CTX would attenuate the taste bud loss typically seen, as well as reduce the microglia response relative to controls. Rats were treated via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection with either curcumin (400mg/kg) or a vehicle solution starting at postnatal age 3 days (P3) and continuing daily throughout the duration of the study. Based on previous research, rats underwent CTX at P10, with tongue and brain tissue collected at either 8- or 16-days post-surgery. Taste bud presence will be assessed using surface analysis to determine potential recovery, and brains will be stained for microglia. While data collection is still in progress, results could be used to promote recovery in a variety of developmental injury models.