Potential Protection of Curcumin against Hypoxia-induced Decreases in Beta-III Tubulin Content in Rat Prefrontal Cortical Neurons

The central nervous system (CNS) is highly dependent on adequate supply of oxygen and is sensitive to hypoxia. It is known that hypoxia induces injuries on the brain tissue and the neuronal activity. Curcumin, a yellow pigment obtained from the rhizome of C. longa Linn., has been regarded as a multi-functional drug with antioxidative activity. In the present study, we first demonstrated a significant decrease in the content of β-III tubulin protein in rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) tissues induced by repeated hypoxia, but not in rat cerebellum tissue. These suggest a relatively higher sensitivity and probably a higher vulnerability of rat PFC tissue to hypoxia in vivo. We reconfirmed the effect of hypoxia to primary cultured neurons from rat PFC and found a significant decrease in the contents of β-III tubulin protein after chronic exposure to hypoxia. Moreover, we demonstrated that the hypoxia-induced decrease in β-III tubulin protein content could be restored by curcumin, suggesting a potential protection of curcumin against hypoxia-induced decreases in beta-III tubulin content in rat PFC neurons. Special issue article in honor of Dr. Ji-Sheng Han.