Management of nerve injury by curcumin after sevoflurane anesthesia in gastric cancer through MAPK signaling pathway

Abstract

Currently, surgery is the only treatment that can completely remove gastric tumor. This study investigated the effect of curcumin on sevoflurane anesthesia-induced nerve damage in rats with gastric cancer (GC). A rat GC model was established and received sevoflurane for anesthesia. The rats were then divided into model group, low-dose (20 mg/kg), high-dose (60 mg/kg) group and blank control group (n = 5, each group). To identify the interaction between curcumin and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) expression, we set up MAPK mimic group, MAPK inhibitor group, and high-dose curcumin+MAPK inhibitor group (n = 5). The cognitive ability of rats after anesthesia and neuronal damage was assessed using Morris water maze test, whilst the expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF) and pyroptosis were also detected. Administration of curcumin attenuated neuronal injury and pyroptosis in the hippocampus induced by sevoflurane, and facilitated the recovery of memory impairment in rats, resulting in decreased expression of MAPK and increased expressions of BNDF and NGF. After treatment with MAPK inhibitors, the nerve damage in the rat hippocampus tissue was controlled, and more prominently neuroprotective effect appeared in the curcumin high-dose+MAPK inhibitor group. Curcumin can thus effectively up-regulate BNDF and NGF in hippocampal tissue, which is closely related to inhibited MAPK pathway activity. Curcumin protects the nervous system by inhibiting the expression of pyroptin, contributing toimprovement of cognitive impairment in rats.