Curcumin protects against interleukin-6-induced rapid Ca^2＋ influx in rat hippocampal neurons

The current study sought to investigate the potential protective action of curcumin against interleukin-6-induced injury in rat hippocampal neurons. The results revealed that interleukin-6 induced typical cellular injury, such as the swelling of cell bodies and increased Ca 2+ concentration. After administration of curcumin, interleukin-6-induced neurons recovered to a normal state, and the fluorescence intensity of Ca 2+ gradually returned to normal. These findings suggest that curcumin exerts a protective effect on hippocampal neurons of rats. In addition, our results suggest that the protective effect of curcumin involves prevention of the rapid Ca 2+ influx induced by interleukin-6, which maintains Ca 2+ homeostasis.