Antioxidant Effects of Curcumin Gel in Experimental Induced Diabetes and Periodontitis in Rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin gel on antioxidant marker level in experimental induced diabetes and periodontitis (EDP) in rats. Adult Wistar rats were randomized into five groups (20 each): (1) EDP treated with scaling and root planing (SRP) + curcumin gel (CU), (2) EDP treated with CU, (3) EDP treated with SRP, (4) EDP without treatment, and (5) systemically healthy and without ligature (control). Each group was subdivided equally into 4 subgroups of 5 rats. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ), and periodontitis was induced by a ligature. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days to assess oxidative stress of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and suproxidase dismutase (SOD) levels. The results showed a significant increase in serum MDA and antioxidant enzyme levels in the untreated EDP group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The adjuvant use of CU to SRP resulted in a significant reduction of MDA and CAT levels as compared to the SRP group (p < 0.05); however, significant reduction of GPX and SOD levels can be found only at day 7. It can be concluded that the decreased level of antioxidant enzymes can be construed as a result of decreased oxidative stress by curcumin therapy.