Abstract
Background: As a polyphenolic compound originated from the food spice
turmeric, curcumin (CUR) has various pharmacological effects, such as
anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-proliferative and
anti-angiogenic activities. Psoriasis is centered on the overproduction
of Th1- and Th2-related cytokines (e. g. IL-23, IL-17, TNF-α, IL-22),
which is involved in the occurrence and development of its pathogenesis.
However, whether CUR is involved in the treatment of psoriasis and its
specific mechanisms are not fully understood. Methods: In this study, we
detected the therapeutic effect of CUR (100mg/kg· d) on IMQ-induced
dermatitis in mice, analyzed by PASI scores, ELISA, HE staining,
immunofluorescence. Moreover, we further confirmed the alteration in the
relative abundance of the gut microbiota through 16sRNA to explore
whether CUR could regulate the gut microbiota of IMQ-induced mice.
Result: Through intragastric administration, CUR can alleviate
psoriasis-like lesions of mice by decreasing PASI scores, reducing the
level of IL-6, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23, TNF-α and TGF-β1, promoting the
expression of IL-10. Moreover, 16 sRNA sequencing revealed that CUR
could regulate the alteration in the abundance alteration of gut
microbiota related to inflammation, such as Alistipes, Mucispirillum and
Rikenella at genus level. The correlation analysis further confirmed the
close association between important microflora and psoriasis-like
inflammation indicators. Conclusions: CUR exerts the effect of
alleviating dermatitis of psoriatic mice by regulating Th-17 related
inflammatory factors. Moreover, the changes in gut microbiota via CUR
may be another factor of relieving IMQ-induced lesions in mice.
Therefore, CUR may be a highly promising candidate for the treatment of
psoriasis.