• Zhen Wang, Qingrui Zhang, Lin Yuan, Shuanglian Wang, Liwei Liu, Xudong Yang, Gang Li, and Dexiang Liu.
• Department of Physiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, PR China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Experimental Teratology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Histology and Embryology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, PR China.
• Behav. Brain Res. 2014 Nov 1;274:282-90.

AbstractCurrent evidence supports that inflammation and increased cytokine levels are associated with depression-like symptoms and neuropsychological disturbances in humans. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-depressant-like properties. Here, we examined the effects of curcumin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depressive-like behavior and inflammation in male mice. A single administration of LPS (0.83mg/kg, i.p.) increased the immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST), reduced sucrose consumption without affecting spontaneous locomotor activity. Pretreatment with curcumin (50mg/kg, i.p.) for 7 consecutive days reversed LPS-induced alterations in the FST, TST, and sucrose preference test. Moreover, pre-treatment with curcumin attenuated LPS-induced microglial activation and overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α), as well as the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC). In addition, curcumin ameliorated LPS-induced NF-κB activation in the hippocampus and PFC. The results demonstrate that curcumin may be an effective therapeutic agent for LPS-induced depressive-like behavior, partially due to its anti-inflammatory aptitude.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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