Protective effects of curcumin on cadmium chloride induced colon toxicity in Swiss albino mice

摘要

Cadmium, an omnipresent, hazardous, heavy metal, is recognized to produce severe toxic effects in humans. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in Atlanta, Georgia has listed cadmium as number 7 in its top 20 list of hazardous substances. In contrast to the toxic activity of cadmium chloride, curcumin derived from Curcuma longa (Turmeric) is attributed with numerous beneficial properties and is supposed to possess multifaceted healing properties. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the protective efficacy of curcumin against cadmium chloride induced colon toxicity in Swiss albino mice. Four batches of Swiss-albino mice, each batch comprising six mice, were treated with cadmium chloride and curcumin. Comparative observations of colon in cadmium-treated groups clearly showed induction of histopathological damage as evidenced by emptied goblet cells, lacerated and suppressed mucosa, destruction of surface epithelium, marked decline in mucin production and hemorrhagic colon, which were not seen in control and curcumin treated group. In animals pretreated with curcumin and subsequently treated with cadmium chloride, the histopathology of colon clearly delineates the protection accorded by curcumin, as the induced damage by cadmium chloride was negligible and the number of empty goblet cells, hemorrhagic areas, suppression of mucosa was significantly reduced.