Effects of Curcumin on Restoration and Improvement of Microvasculature Characteristic in Diabetic Rat’s Choroid of Eye
Wipapan Khimmaktong PhD*, Hattaya Petpiboolthai MSc**, Piyanee Sriya MSc*, Vipavee Anupunpisit PhD**
Affiliation : * Department of Anatomy, Pramongkutklao Collage of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand ** Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
Objective : To investigate the effect of curcumin on microvasculature changes in STZ-induced diabetic rat’s choroid of eye.
Material and Method: Male rats were divided into three groups: control (C) Diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin
(STZ) (60 mg/kg BW) (DM) diabetic rats treated with curcumin (DMC) (200 mg/kg BW). After 8 weeks of experiments,
microvasculature changes of rat’s choroid were studied under vascular corrosion cast technique with scanning electron
microscope (SEM).
Results : There were pathology and destruction of choroid microvasculature of DM group that revealed reduced and
shrunken sizes of large and small blood vessels, compared with control group; long posterior ciliary arteries (LPCAs) (C
= 113.70+1.38, DM = 83.53+2.70, DMC = 109.64+3.41 μm), choroid arteries (C = 94.97+2.79, DM = 59.36+2.61, DMC
= 80.31+3.73 μm), vortex veins (C = 74.11+3.24, DM = 46.71+2.56, DMC = 64.66+3.60 μm), and Choriocapillaris
(choroidal capillaries) (C = 13.61+0.62, DM = 4.46+0.24, DMC = 9.96+0.70 μm), respectively. In DM group, LPCAs and
Choroid arteries were tortuous and showed shrinkage. Vortex veins became narrow. Choriocapillaris showed the pathological
characteristics of vascular lesions including of shrinkage, constriction, microaneurysm and blind ending. Fascinatingly,
Choroid microvasculature of the eye in curcumin treated group developed into regenerate and repaired conditions with
healthy and normal characteristics.
Conclusion : Efficiency of curcumin treatment beneficially repaired and regenerated the redevelopment of choroid’s
microvascular complications of eye in 8-week experiments. Potential treatment with curcumin in diabetes has demonstrated
in a meaningful way the therapeutic consequences in the improvement and recovery of choroidal blood vessels in eye
pathology of diabetic rats.
Keywords : Diabetes mellitus, Streptozotocin, Curcumin, Microvasculature, Vascular corrosion cast, Scanning electron microscope
