Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that often leads to permanent neurological deficits. Evidence from emerging studies has implicated oxygen-derived free radicals and high-energy oxidants as mediators of secondary SCI. Therefore, targeting these mediators using antioxidants could be beneficial for the disease. Several signaling pathways, such as the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 (Nrf2/HO-1), have been associated with the regulation of some pathophysiological features of SCI. Curcumin is a plant medicinal agent whose diverse pharmacological properties have been extensively investigated and reported, notably its ability to curtail inflammatory damage by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells. In this review, we analyze the role of curcumin in activating Nrf2/HO-1 and scavenging free radicals to repair SCI. With its minimal side effects, curcumin could be a potential therapy for SCI treatment.

脊髓损伤 (SCI) 是一种破坏性事件，通常会导致永久性神经功能障碍。来自新兴研究的证据表明氧衍生自由基和高能氧化剂是继发性 SCI 的介质。因此，使用抗氧化剂靶向这些介质可能对疾病有益。几种信号通路，如核因子红细胞 2 相关因子 2/血红素加氧酶 1 (Nrf2/HO-1)，与 SCI 的某些病理生理特征的调节有关。姜黄素是一种植物药物，其多种药理特性已被广泛研究和报道，特别是其通过抑制活化 B 细胞的核因子-κ-轻链增强剂来减少炎症损伤的能力。在本次审查中，我们分析了姜黄素在激活 Nrf2/HO-1 和清除自由基修复 SCI 中的作用。姜黄素的副作用最小，可能是一种潜在的 SCI 治疗方法。