Curcumin modulates muscle damage but not oxidative stress and antioxidant defense following eccentric exercise in rats

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on eccentric exerciseinduced muscle damage and oxidative stress in rats. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control (C; no curcumin, no exercise; n = 6), Curcumin (Cur; n = 8), Exercise (E; n = 8) and Exercise Plus Curcumin (ECur; n = 8). Curcumin was given for 20 days via oral gavage at doses of 200 mg/kg-1 of body weight per day, dissolved in corn oil. On the 21st day eccentric exercise was provided via a treadmill run and the rats were sacrificed immediately after. Results: Eccentric exercise resulted in significant (p < 0.05) increases in all injury markers such as creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin, but curcumin supplementation tended to decrease CK activity (p > 0.05) and significantly decreased myoglobin levels (p < 0.05). In blood and muscle samples, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were not affected by either curcumin or exercise (p > 0.05). MDA levels in liver tissue decreased in the ECur group, compared to the control (p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and glutathione (GSH) levels were affected by neither curcumin nor exercise (p > 0.05), in blood, muscle and liver tissues. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that curcumin has a protective effect on eccentric exercise induced muscle damage, and that this effect might be independent of oxidative stress and antioxidant systems.