Curcumin Alleviates SCI Glial Scars by Regulating Mitochondrial Function and Promotes the Recovery of Motor Function in Mice
YIN Sai
YU Yang
Abstract：Objective This study aims to investigate whether curcumin attenuates the excessive activation of astrocytes after spinal cord injury(SCI)by regulating mitochondrial function,thereby inhibiting glial scar formation and promoting the recovery of motor function in mice.Methods A mouse model of spinal cord injury was established,and the animals were randomly divided into sham-operated group,spinal cord injury group,and curcumin-treated groups.Western Blot analysis was performed to detect the expression level of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP).In vitro experiments on astrocytes were conducted using mitochondrial membrane potential probes to assess changes in membrane potential,and ATP content was measured to evaluate cellular energy metabolism.Behavioral analysis was carried out using the Basso Mouse Scale(BMS)scoring system to assess the recovery of motor function.Results Curcumin treatment significantly enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP synthesis levels in cells within the injured area and markedly suppressed the expression of the astrocyte marker GFAP.Furthermore,mice in the curcumin-treated group showed significant improvement in motor function recovery as indicated by BMS scores.Conclusion Curcumin promotes neurological repair and functional recovery after spinal cord injury by improving mitochondrial function and suppressing astrocyte activation and glial scar formation,suggesting a potential drug intervention strategy for the clinical treatment of SCI.
Keywords：spinal cord injurycurcuminastrocytesmitochondria
Publication Date：2025-10-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-11-20(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 8-14 )