Impacts of curcumin on the healing procedure of eye cataracts in a rabbit model

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Small Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22124/cjes.2024.8148

Abstract

Curcumin is a natural antioxidant agent derived from turmeric. The present survey assessed the anti-cataract effect of curcumin on experimentally induced cataracts in rabbit models. Twenty-four healthy rabbits were selected, numbered, and kept individually in separate cages for 2 weeks with routine feeding. Clinical examinations were done to assess the rabbit’s eye health. Up to cataract formation, all rabbits received 0.1% sodium selenite (1 mg kg-1 body weight subcutaneously). Then, rabbits were classified into four groups: control group I (without any oral treatment), control II (with oral normal saline), treatment I (oral consumption of commercial curcumin), and treatment II (oral consumption of vitamin E). Curcumin, vitamin E, and normal saline were fed to rabbits 3 times a day for 20 days at a rate of 15 mg kg-1 body weight each time. Then, during ultrasound, the diameters of the anterior capsule of the lens, the posterior capsule of the lens, and the anterior-posterior of the lens were evaluated. Examination with slit lamp biomicroscopy was also done once every 3 days. Injection of 1 mg kg-1 of body weight every 72 h three times caused rabbits to survive for more than a month, and the cataract was created. An increase in the thickness of the lens anterior and posterior capsules could be seen and measured from the 4th day, and this increase continued until the 12th day and did not change until the last day of the study. Sodium selenite caused an elevation in the diameters of the lens anterior, posterior, and anterior-posterior capsules. On the 20th day of the experiment, the lowest diameter of the anterior, posterior, and anterior-posterior capsules was obtained for rabbits of treatment I (Curcumin; 0.063 ± 0.002, 0.065 ± 0.002, and 0.598 ± 0.02 cm, respectively). Statistically significant differences were obtained for the diameter of the lens capsules between treatment I and control and treatment II (p < 0.05). The administration of oral curcumin (1 mg kg-1 body weight 3 times a day for 20 days) significantly inhibited eye cataracts induced by sodium selenite in rabbit models. Rendering the edible route of curcumin and its beneficial effects, as well as synthesizing edible drugs based on curcumin for treating eye cataracts, has been recommended.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 12 November 2024

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