Abstract: Objective To explore the possible mechanism of curcumin in ameliorating focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Method Rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham, model (tMCAO+Vehicle) and curcumin (tMCAO+Cur) group, and 15 per group. 24 h after reperfusion, Longa score was used to evaluate neurological function, and RT-qPCR was used to detect the levels of Shh, Ptc and Smo mRNA in ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex in each group. The number of NeuN positive cells and celluar distribution of Gli protein in the ischemic penumbra were assessed by immunofluorescence confocal technique. Results 24h after reperfusion, the Longa score in tMCAO+Cur group was obviously lower than that in tMCAO+Vehicle group (P<0.05). Compared with tMCAO+Vehicle group, the number of NeuN positive cells in tMCAO+Cur group (P<0.05). The levels of Shh, Ptc and Smo mRNA in tMCAO+Vehicle and tMCAO+Cur group was higher than that in Sham group (P<0.05), moreover, the content of Shh, Ptc and Smo mRNA in tMCAO+Cur group was higher than those in tMCAO+Vehicle group, respectively (P<0.05). Immunofluorescence confocal results showed that the Gli-1 protein in the Sham group mainly located in cytoplasm, and partially translocated to nucleus in tMCAO+Vehicle group. The Gli-1 protein in the tMCAO+Cur group mainly located in the nucleus. Conclusion Curcumin promoted the recovery of neurological function in focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats and decreased the neuronal loss in the ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex.

Key words: 【Key words】 Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, Curcumin, Shh, Neurological function recovery