Al-Askar Maha, Bhat Ramesa Shafi, Selim Manar, Al-Ayadhi Laila, El-Ansary Afaf
Department of Biochemistry, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Zoology, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 May 10;17(1):259. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1763-7.
Valproic acid (VPA) is used as a first-line antiepileptic agent and is undergoing clinical trials for use as a treatment for many disorders. Mothers undergoing VPA treatment during early pregnancy reportedly show increased rates of autism among their offspring. The benefits of curcumin supplementation were investigated using an animal model of VPA-induced autism.
The study was performed using a rodent model of autism by exposing rat fetuses to valproic acid (VPA) on the 12.5th day of gestation. At 7 days from their birth, the animals were supplemented with a specific dose of curcumin. Forty neonatal male Western Albino rats were divided into four groups. Rats in group I received only phosphate-buffered saline, rats in group II were the prenatal VPA exposure newborns, rats in group III underwent prenatal VPA exposure supplemented with postnatal curcumin, and rats in group IV were given only postnatal curcumin supplements.
VPA rats exhibited delayed maturation and lower body and brain weights with numerous signs of brain toxicity, such as depletion of IFN-γ, serotonin, glutamine, reduced glutathione, glutathione S-transferase, lipid peroxidase with an increase in CYP450, IL-6, glutamate, and oxidized glutathione. A curcumin supplement moderately corrected these dysfunctions and was especially noticeable in improving delayed maturation and abnormal weight.
Curcumin plays a significant therapeutic role in attenuating brain damage that has been induced by prenatal VPA exposure in rats; however, its therapeutic role as a dietary supplement still must be certified for use in humans.
丙戊酸（VPA）用作一线抗癫痫药物，并且正在进行用于治疗多种疾病的临床试验。据报道，在妊娠早期接受VPA治疗的母亲所生后代患自闭症的几率增加。使用VPA诱导的自闭症动物模型研究了补充姜黄素的益处。
该研究通过在妊娠第12.5天给大鼠胎儿暴露于丙戊酸（VPA）来使用自闭症啮齿动物模型。在出生后7天，给动物补充特定剂量的姜黄素。将40只新生雄性西方白化大鼠分为四组。第一组大鼠仅接受磷酸盐缓冲盐水，第二组大鼠是产前暴露于VPA的新生大鼠，第三组大鼠在产前暴露于VPA的同时补充产后姜黄素，第四组大鼠仅给予产后姜黄素补充剂。
VPA大鼠表现出成熟延迟、体重和脑重降低，伴有许多脑毒性迹象，如IFN-γ、血清素、谷氨酰胺、还原型谷胱甘肽、谷胱甘肽S-转移酶、脂质过氧化物酶减少，同时CYP450、IL-6、谷氨酸和氧化型谷胱甘肽增加。补充姜黄素适度纠正了这些功能障碍，尤其在改善成熟延迟和体重异常方面尤为明显。
姜黄素在减轻大鼠产前暴露于VPA所诱导的脑损伤方面发挥着重要的治疗作用；然而，其作为膳食补充剂的治疗作用仍必须经过认证才能用于人类。
