Objective: Arsenic (As) poisoning is a worldwide public health problem. Arsenic can cause cancer, diabetes, hepatic problems, etc. Hence, we investigated possible hepatoprotective properties of curcumin against As3+-induced liver damages in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes.
Materials and methods: Isolation of hepatocytes was done by the two-step liver perfusion method using collagenase. The EC50 concentration of As3+ was used in toxicity assessments and curcumin (2, 5, and 10 µM) was added 15 min before As3+ addition to isolated hepatocytes. Curcumin impact was assessed in terms of cytotoxicity, lipid peroxidation induction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential.
Results: As3+ significantly increased cytotoxicity, malondialdehyde and ROS levels and induced mitochondrial membrane damage and hepatocyte membrane lysis after 3 hr incubation. Curcumin 2 µM significantly prevented lipid peroxidation induction, ROS formation, and mitochondrial membrane damage; while curcumin 5 µM had no apparent effect on these parameters, curcumin 10 µM potentiated them.
Conclusion: Curcumin only at low doses could ameliorate oxidative stress injury induced by As3+ in isolated rat hepatocytes.
Keywords: Hepatocytes; Lipid peroxidation; Mitochondria; Reactive oxygen species.