Curcumin protects rat endplate chondrocytes against IL-1β-induced apoptosis via Bcl-2/Bax regulation

The study aims to investigate the protective effect of curcumin on intervertebral disc degeneration by examining its influence on IL-1β-induced apoptosis in rat cartilage endplate cells. The rat primary chondrocytes treated by IL-1 β at 10 ng /mL was utilized as a rat model in intervertebral disc degeneration, followed by incubation with different concentration of curcumin (10, 15, 20 μmol/L). Cell apoptosis and cell proliferation were conducted through flow cytometry and CCK-8, respectively. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining was used to visualize the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 inside the cells. Western blotting was performed to determine the expression of the Bax and Bcl-2. Curcumin promoted proliferation of chondrocytes treated by IL-1 β, but inhibited the apoptosis. Importantly, curcumin significantly downregulated the expression level of Bax but upregulated the expression level of Bcl-2. Strengths of this study include the use of multiple assays to validate the findings, while limitations include the in vitro nature and lack of in vivo data. Curcumin is capable of ameliorating IL-1β -induced intervertebral disc degeneration by Bcl-1 and Bax production. This study provides a foundation for future research into curcumin’s therapeutic potential in intervertebral disc degeneration.