Effect and mechanism of curcumin on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in the treatment of myocardial infarction in rats

孙浩丹1徐新茹1徐乐2安春雨1王晓鑫1吕洋1王海萍1*

doi:10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.009

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Acta Anatomica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (4) : 459-466. DOI: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.009

Histology and Embryology and Development Biology

Effect and mechanism of curcumin on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in the treatment of myocardial infarction in rats

SUN Hao-dan¹, XU Xin-ru¹, XU Le², AN Chun-yu¹, WANG Xiao-xin¹, LÜ Yang¹, WANG Hai-ping^1*

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of curcumin (Cur) on myocardial infarction (MI) treated with by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation and to study whether it exerts its effects through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related pathways. Methods Forty SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group (sham), MI model group (MI), BMSCs transplantation group (BMSCs), and curcumin-pretreated BMSCs transplantation group (Cur). An MI model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. In the sham group, only sutures were threaded without ligation. After modeling, untreated BMSCs or Cur-pretreated BMSCs were injected into the infarct area of the BMSCs group and the Cur group, respectively. Four weeks after transplantation, cardiac function indicators including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) were assessed by echocardiography. Myocardial histopathological changes and fibrosis were observed by HE staining and Masson staining. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis. Immunofluorescence staining was used to assess angiogenesis. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of ERS-related proteins: Bcl-2, Bax, intracellular apoptotic proteins cleaved Caspase (c-Casp)-3, Casp-12, glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP-78), and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP). Results Compared with the sham group, the MI group rats showed significantly increased LVEDV and LVESV (P<0.05), significantly decreased LVEF and LVFS (P<0.05), disordered myocardial tissue arrangement, significantly increased fibrosis area, increased apoptosis rate, and upregulated expression of ERS-related proteins Bax, c-Casp-3, Casp-12, CHOP, and GRP-78 (P<0.05), while downregulated expression of Bcl-2 (P<0.05). Compared with the MI group, BMSC transplantation improved cardiac function and reduced myocardial injury, with the Cur group showing more significant effects. It further enhanced LVEF and LVFS (P<0.05), downregulated LVEDV and LVESV (P<0.05), and significantly decreased the area of myocardial fibrosis and the rate of apoptosis (P<0.05). The expression of ERS pathway proteins Bax, c-Casp-3, Casp-12, CHOP, and GRP-78 also decreased (P<0.05), while Bcl-2 expression increased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion Cur pretreatment may enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSC transplantation after myocardial infarction by inhibiting the ERS-mediated apoptosis pathway.

Key words

Curcumin

/ Myocardial infarction / Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell / Endoplasmic reticulum stress / Western blotting / Rat

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SUN Hao-dan , XU Xin-ru , XU Le , AN Chun-yu , WANG Xiao-xin , LÜ Yang , WANG Hai-ping.

Effect and mechanism of curcumin on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in the treatment of myocardial infarction in rats

[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica. 2026, 57(4): 459-466 https://doi.org/10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.009

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