Curcumin protects cardiac tissue from combined oxidative stress induced by diabetes and nicotine

Research has found that curcumin can protect cardiac tissues from the combined oxidative stress induced by diabetes and nicotine. The study, published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, examined the ability of curcumin to ameliorate the combined diabetes and smoking-induced oxidative stress that cause diabetic cardiomyopathy.

• Diabetes and cigarette smoking, which both cause oxidative stress, are primary factors that cause cardiovascular diseases.
• Curcumin is known to have protective effects against hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress.
• For the study, researchers from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia administered nicotine to diabetic rats to determine the effect of the combined oxidative stress of diabetes and nicotine.
• Then, they administered curcumin to evaluate its protective effect on possible oxidative stress induced by diabetes and nicotine.
• Results showed that the administration of nicotine to diabetic rats increased the oxidative stress on the heart muscles by increasing in reactive oxygen species production, nitric oxide production, and upregulation of cardiac tissue inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Endothelin-1 mRNA expressions.
• It also increased triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
• The oxidative stress brought by diabetes and nicotine reduced the protective mechanism of the cardiac muscle.
• These combined oxidative stresses were seen by the increase of the main cardiac biomarkers troponin I and creatine kinase (CK-MB).
• The administration of curcumin prevented the diabetic and nicotine-induced oxidative stress, which was seen by the normalization of the plasma cardiac marker troponin I and CK-MB.

These findings confirmed that curcumin has a protective effect on cardiac tissues against the combined oxidative stress induced by diabetes and nicotine.

To read more studies on powerful antioxidants like curcumin, visit Antioxidants.news.

Journal Reference:

Ibrahim ZS, Soliman MM, Mahmoud S, Shukry M. CARDIOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF CURCUMIN AGAINST DIABETES AND NICOTINE-COMBINED OXIDATIVE STRESS. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 15 November 2017; 14(6): 64-71. DOI: 10.21010/ajtcam.v14i6.7