Comparison of effects of curcumin and beta-carotene on ovarian damage caused by cisplatin

Abstract

Abstract We investigated the potential protective effects of curcumin (CUR) and beta-carotene (BC) against cisplatin (CIS)-induced ovarian damage using histological and immunohistochemical methods. We used 56 female Wistar albino rats, divided randomly into seven groups. Control rats did not receive any treatment; the sham group was administered 1 ml/kg sesame oil by gavage; the CIS group was administered 5 mg/kg CIS; the CUR group was administered 200 mg/kg CUR; the BC group was administered 200 mg/kg BC; the CUR + CIS group was administered CIS after administration of CUR; the BC + CIS group was pretreated with BC before CIS injection, then administered CIS. The ovaries of all groups were excised five days after the last application. We assessed histopathology and counted and classified follicles. Expression of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was detected immunohistochemically. Apoptosis was evaluated using the TUNEL method. We found that CUR and BC are protective against decreased numbers of primordial, primary, preantral, secondary, and tertiary follicles caused by CIS. AMH immunoreactivity was nearly the same for the control and CUR + CIS groups; both Cur and BC decreased ovarian NF-κB levels compared to controls. Apoptotic cell counts indicated that CUR exerts a stronger anti-apoptotic effect than BC.