Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To detect antioxidant and antiinflammatory efficacy of Curcumin(Cur) on lung tissue in rats with sepsis.METHODS: Totally 32 rats were divided into 4 groups; the rats in Group 1(control group) had abdominal incision under sterile conditions following anesthesia and the abdomen was sutured. Abdominal incision was performed in the rats in Group 2(Cur group) under sterile conditions following anesthesia and the abdomen was closed. Cur was given to this group after dissolving within dimethylsulphoxide as 100 mg/kg through oral gavage and started for 3 d before surgical procedure. Group 3(CLP group) had caecal ligation and punction(CLP)under sterile conditions to create sepsis following anesthesia and the abdomen was sutured. CLP was performed in the rats in Group 4(CLP + Cur group)under sterile conditions following anesthesia to create a sepsis model and the abdomen was closed.Cur was also given to this group after dissolving within dimethylsulphoxide as 100 mg/kg through oralgavageandstartedfor3 d before surgical proce-dure. All the rats were sacrificed through blood aspiration from the heart under sterile conditions following anesthesia and lung tissues were removed after 24 h following the surgical procedures. The tissue samples were homogenizated for biochemical analyses; and malondialdehyde(MDA), nitric okxide(NO), myeloperoxidase(MPO), superoxidedysmutase(SOD) nd catalase(CAT) were analyzed through spectrophotometric method, immunhistochemical i NOS staining was performed to assess the inflammation; and histopathological differences between the groups were evaluated.RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease was detected in the CLP + Cur group when compared with the CLP group of which Cur was not given in terms of MDA, MPO and NO levels(P < 0.05) whereas a statistically significant elevation was fpund in the CLP + Cur group when compared with the CLP group in terms of SOD and CAT levels(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: The study outcomes revealed that supplementation of Cur presents an antioxidant effect by reducing the free radical level and increasing the antioxidant enzyme levels; and an antiinflammatory effect by reducing i NOS level.

Key words: Curcumin, Sepsis, Anti-inflammatory agents, Antioxidants, Nitric Oxide Synthase Type Ⅱ