Curcumin has been investigated for the prevention and treatment of diseases due to its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective actions. This current study evaluated the adaptogenic effects of a subchronic oral administration of curcumin to Swiss mice that were submitted to a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model of depression. Four groups of mice (vehicle control, CO; curcumin control, COC; CUMS + vehicle, CUMS; CUMS + curcumin, CUMSC) were evaluated for the biochemical parameters. The CUMS model caused depressive-like and anxiety-like behavior in the animals when they were viewed in the Forced Swimming Test and in the Elevated Plus Maze Test. The treatments with curcumin prevented the depressive-like behavior in the Forced Swimming Test and they had anxiolytic effects on the non-stressed animals. This was confirmed by the Elevated Plus Maze Test. Curcumin showed antioxidant effects (IC₅₀ of 38.86 ± 1.78 μg/mL) in the in vitro DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrozole) test. The compound also showed antioxidant effects in vivo, increasing the catalase (CAT) levels in the brains of the stressed animals. The biochemical analyses did not reveal potential renal and hepatic damage. Together, these results have demonstrated the antidepressant and antioxidant effects of curcumin, highlighting in this mice model, the compound’s novel adaptogenic potential.

姜黄素因其抗氧化、抗炎、免疫调节和神经保护作用而被研究用于预防和治疗疾病。目前的这项研究评估了亚慢性口服姜黄素对瑞士小鼠的适应原效应，这些小鼠接受慢性不可预测的轻度压力 (CUMS) 抑郁症模型。对四组小鼠（载体对照，CO；姜黄素对照，COC；CUMS+载体，CUMS；CUMS+姜黄素，CUMSC）的生化参数进行了评估。当在强迫游泳测试和高架迷宫测试中观察动物时，CUMS 模型会导致动物出现抑郁样和焦虑样行为。姜黄素治疗可防止强迫游泳测试中的抑郁样行为，并且它们对非应激动物具有抗焦虑作用。Elevated Plus Maze 测试证实了这一点。姜黄素显示出抗氧化作用（IC₅₀ of 38.86 ± 1.78 μg/mL) 在体外 DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrozole) 测试中。该化合物还在体内显示出抗氧化作用，增加了应激动物大脑中过氧化氢酶 (CAT) 的水平。生化分析未发现潜在的肾脏和肝脏损害。总之，这些结果证明了姜黄素的抗抑郁和抗氧化作用，在该小鼠模型中突出了该化合物的新型适应原潜力。