Curcumin is a yellow colouring ingredient of the spice turmeric obtained from the rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn (Zingiberaceae). It has a wide spectrum of biological and pharmaceutical activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic and anti-oxidant activities. Nicotine is the principal alkaloid contained in tobacco,nicotine metabolism has been shown to occur to a small extent in extrahepatic organs such as lung, kidney and brain. Pathogen free, Wistar strain male albino rats were used in the present study, Age matched rats were be divided into 4 groups of six in each group and treated as follows: Group I. Normal Control (NC) (Control rats received 0.9% saline). Group II. Nicotine treated (Nt) (at a dose of 0.6 mg/ kg body weight by subcutaneous injection for a period of 2 months). Group III. Rats will receive the nicotine with a dose of 0.6 mg/kg body weight by subcutaneous injection and Curcumin extract 50mg/kg body weight (after the standardization) via orogastric tube for a period of 2 months. The animals were sacrificed after 24 hours after the last treatment by cervical dislocation and isolated the lung tissue washed with ice-cold saline, immediately immersed in liquid nitrogen and stored at -800 C for biochemical analysis and enzymatic assays. In the present study the Malondialdehydehyde (MDA), were significantly increased in nicotine treated rats in the lung tissue and reduced was observed in the combination treatment (Nt+Cur), Whereas Glutathione s-transferase, Xanthion oxidase (XOD), Cytochrome-C- oxidase and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were considerably decreased in nicotine treated rats meanwhile In all the experimental animals upregulated of enzymes was observed in the lung tissue (combination treatment of Nt+Cur ). The present study has been undertaken to evaluate the antioxidant property of Curcumin on lung tissue, Keeping in view of the relative importance of Curcumin on nicotine induced oxidative stress in male albino rats.
