Curcumin이 microglia의 활성화에 미치는 영향

Effects of Curcumin on the Microglial Activation

Microglia, brain resident macrophages, play a central role in the inflammatory responses of the brain and are activated in brain injuries and several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, thereby aggravating the course of these diseases. In this study, the effects of plant-derived compounds such as curcumin or gingerol on the microglial activation were examined. Microglial cultures were prepared from 2-3 week mixed primary glial cultures obtained from the cerebral cortex of 1-2 day old rats and identified by immunocytochemistry using microglial-specific antibody OX-42. Microglia were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and the effect of curcumin or 6-gingerol on the microglial activation was examined. Specific parameters measured to monitor microglial activation were nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release. Curcumin (1-10mcM) inhibited NO release induced by LPS and IFN-gamma in a dose-dependent manner whereas 6-gingerol (2-20mcM) did not have any effect on LPS/IFN-gamma-induced NO release. The levels of PGE2 and TNF-alpha induced by LPS and IFN-gamma were also inhibited by 1-10pM curcumin in a dose-dependent manner. These results showed that curcumin could modulate microglial activation.