Title:Phytosomal Curcumin and Shilajit Decrease Adhesion Bands Post-achilles Tendon Surgery in Animal Model
Volume: 21
Issue: 14
Author(s): Fereshteh Asgharzadeh, Seyedeh Elnaz Nazari, Hamideh Naeimi, Farzad Rahmani, Amir Avan, Majid Khazaei*Seyed Mahdi Hassanian*
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic syndrome Research
Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Basic Sciences Research institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, University of
Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Karbala, Iraq
Keywords:
Curcumin, shilajit, fibrosis, tendon surgery, adhesion band formation, masson’s trichrome staining.
Abstract:
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of phytosomal curcumin and/or
shilajit in reducing post-surgical tendon adhesion band formation in a rat model.
Background: Tendon adhesion is one of the severe complications after tendon surgery which causes limited
tendon movement and functional disability.
Objective: According to the central role of inflammatory reactions in fibrosis and the formation of tendon
adhesions, we investigated the therapeutic effects of phytosomal curcumin and shilajit either alone or in
combination on reducing post-surgical tendon adhesion band formation in a rat model.
Methods: We randomly divided 36 Wistar male rats into six equal groups. (A) Control group with no
surgical incision and no intervention. (B) Sham group with surgical incision, but no adhesion, (C) Positive
control group with total surgical transection and adhesion receiving normal saline daily, (D-F) Treatment
groups which are the same as group C except that rats were treated with the following drugs. Phytosomal
curcumin alone (250 μL/day; orally), shilajit alone (500 mg/kg/day; orally) and a combination of phytosomal
curcumin + shilajit. In groups with surgical intervention, the rats' Achilles tendons were cut and
repaired with a modified Kessler technique. At 3 weeks, all rats were euthanized. Histological and pathological
scoring systems were used to evaluate the protective effects of phytosomal curcumin and/or shilajit
in reducing adhesion bands at the site of tendon injuries.
Results: Our results revealed that the administration of phytosomal curcumin and/or shilajit remarkably
reduced length, density, grading, severity, and thickness of post-surgical adhesion bands. Compared to the
untreated control group, the histological changes and inflammatory reactions were significantly attenuated
in treated rats. Furthermore, treatment with phytosomal curcumin and/or shilajit inhibited fibrotic responses
by alleviating collagen deposition, fibrosis quantity, fibrosis grading, and total fibrosis scores, as
visualized by Masson’s trichrome staining.
Conclusion: Our findings indicated the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties of phytosomal curcumin
and/or shilajit supporting their therapeutic potential in preventing post-operative tendon adhesion bands.
