This study was designed to evaluate the effect of curcumin on type 1 diabetes mellitus and/or rheumatoid arthritis in male Wistar rats. Type 1 diabetes mellitus was induced by multiple-low dose intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at dose of 20 mg/kg b.wt/day for 5 consecutive days. Rheumatoid arthritis was induced in normal and diabetic rats by a single subcutaneous injection of 0.1 ml Freund’s complete adjuvant into a footpad of the right hind leg of male rats. Diabetic, arthritic and diabetic/arthritic rats were orally treated with curcumin at dose level of 50 mg /kg b.wt /day for 21 days. The treatment of diabetic and diabetic/arthritic rats with curcumin significantly improved the impaired glucose tolerance, the lowered insulin level, the β-cell function and the deteriorated serum lipid profile. The disrupted pancreatic islets architecture and integrity were amended by curcumin administration. The increased ankle joint circumference, deleteriously affected ankle joint histological architecture, articular inflammatory cell infiltration, pannus formation, cartilage erosion and synovial hyperplasia in arthritic and diabetic/arthritic rats were counteracted by curcumin treatment. The elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) levels and the lowered anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) level in diabetic, arthritic and diabetic/arthritic rats, reflecting the dominance of T helper 1 over T helper 2, were significantly improved as a result of curcumin administration. In conclusion, curcumin could have both antidiabetic and antiarthritic potentials which may be mediated via its anti-inflammatoy and immunomodulatory potentials.
 

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