Role of Curcumin as an antioxidant on the changes in the uterus tissue of the rats which have been applied benzo(a)pyrene

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) take part at the first line of the substances which cause chemical contamination associated with the changing and developing technology today in order to meet the requirements of the day. Benzo (a) piren ( 3,4- benzopyrene, BaP) is a substance which takes part in the PAH class, plays an important role as an environmental and industrial contaminant and at the same time which has the competency of toxic influence, pressing the immune system and causing cancer strongly in different tissues of the creatures. Curcumin is an antioxidant which is obtained from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa plant. Containing 2 ketone groups bound to the beta position of Curcumin enables it to have an antioxidant feature. Catching also the superoxide radicals by Curcumin protects the DNA against oxidative damages. In this study, it is aimed to determine the potential protective influences of the curcumin application which is known as having antitumoral and antiflamuatural pharmacological influences on the uterus tissue in addition to its antioxidant characteristics in rats with Wistar albino type remaining effective in BaP with the increasingly widespread usage area. 36 Wistar albino type female rats are used in the test. During the test process, the temperature of the laboratory is kept as average 22 ± 2°C, light 12 hours illuminated 12 hours dark. Tap water is given to the subjects as fresh water. All of the subjects are fed infinitely with the standard fodder. The subjects are separated into six (6) main groups as control, maize oil, DMSO, BaP, curcumin and BaP + curcumin. The body weights of the subjects were measured every day during our six-week study. Uterus tissues were taken from the subjects that were sacrificed under high dose anesthesia in the end of the six-week period. Hematoxylene-Eozin ve Masson trichrom paints are applied on the sections which were taken from the tissues and then pictured properly. In our study, it is determined that the uterus weight increased because of BaP application, all wall thickness and epithelia thickness increased because of the hyperplasic and hypertrophic influences and such influences did not occur with the groups in which curcumin is applied. It is also observed that such negative influences which are caused by BaP which we consider as the protective influence of curcumin considerably regressed in the BaP + curcumin groups.