Despite medical advancements, the inflammatory cascade and oxidative stress worsen the prognosis in most cases of peritonitis. Curcumin has emerged as a potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in few of the acute inflammatory and infective conditions. We examined the effect of intraperitoneal injection of curcumin in endotoxin-induced peritonitis in rats. The blood and peritoneal fluid samples were collected at 3 and 24 h following the induction of peritonitis. Animals were sacrificed at 24 h and the organs preserved. The histopathological report of lung, liver, and intestines in the curcumin-treated rats showed maintenance of tissue architecture to a large extent compared to the control group which showed massive congestion, hemorrhage, and necrosis. The blood and peritoneal fluid total count and differential neutrophil counts were significantly higher at 24 h of induction of peritonitis. Serum amyloid assay and lipid peroxidation were significantly lower, and myeloperoxidase assay was higher in the curcumin-treated group at the end of 24 h; thus, curcumin probably demonstrated a neutrophil-mediated immunopotentiation and anti-inflammatory action thereby protecting the animal from endotoxemia-induced multi-organ damage.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Curcumin; Immunopotentiation; Peritonitis.