Gastroprotective and antidepressant effects of a new zinc(II)–curcumin complex in rodent models of gastric ulcer and depression induced by stresses

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior biochemistry and behavior, 2011-07, Vol.99 (1), p.66-74
• Main Authors: Mei, Xueting, Xu, Donghui, Xu, Sika, Zheng, Yanping, Xu, Shibo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Animals; Antidepressant; Antidepressive Agents - administration & dosage; Antidepressive Agents - chemistry; Antiulcer; Biological and medical sciences; Curcuma; Curcumin; Curcumin - administration & dosage; Curcumin - chemistry; Depression; Depression - etiology; Depression - prevention & control; Depression - psychology; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Combinations; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mood disorders; Neuropharmacology; Other diseases. Semiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Protective Agents - administration & dosage; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Stomach Ulcer - etiology; Stomach Ulcer - prevention & control; Stomach Ulcer - psychology; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - drug therapy; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Synergistic effect; Zinc; Zinc - administration & dosage; Zinc - chemistry; Zn(II)–curcumin complex
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.04.002

Curcumin, a yellow pigment found in the rhizome of Curcuma loga, has been used to treat a variety of digestive and neuropsychiatric disorders since ancient times in China. Curcumin can chelate various metal ions to form metallocomplexes of curcumin which show greater effects than curcumin alone. This study investigated the antiulcerogenic and antidepressant effects of a Zn(II)–curcumin complex on cold-restraint stress (CRS)-induced gastric ulcers in rats, and on the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP)-induced head twitch test in mice. CRS disrupted the rat mucosal barrier and induced gastric ulcers by decreasing the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, and increasing H+–K+–ATPase activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Pretreatment with Zn(II)–curcumin (12, 24, and 48mg/kg) dose-dependently reversed these trends, reduced gastric lesions and H+–K+–ATPase activity, and increased antioxidant activities compared with control groups. Zn(II)–curcumin significantly increased HSP70 mRNA, and attenuated increased iNOS mRNA in the mucosa. Zn(II)–curcumin (17, 34, and 68mg/kg) also significantly decreased immobility time in the FST and TST, and enhanced 5-HTP-induced head twitches in mice. These results demonstrate that the Zn(II)–curcumin complex showed significant gastroprotective and antidepressant effects compared with curcumin alone via a synergistic effect between curcumin and zinc. ► Current antidepressant drugs exert undesirable side effects. ► Curcumin has been used in China to treat digestive & neuropsychiatric disorders. ► Curcumin can chelate metal ions and form metallocomplexes showing greatly effects. ► Zn(II)-curcumin showed more gastroprotective & antidepressant effects than curcumin. ► Zn(II)-curcumin showed a synergistic effect between curcumin and zinc.