Figure 3.
Anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin nanoparticles on inflammatory cytokine production following intravaginal delivery. Depo-treated mice (n = 3–4) received either water (H2O), nanoparticles without curcumin (vehicle-only), or nanoparticles with 0.5 mg of curcumin IVAG 2 h prior to inoculation with 30 μg of CpG-ODN. Negative control mice received water in the absence of CpG-ODN. (A) Cervical tissues and (B) vaginal tissues were excised and homogenized, and levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) and Interleukin (IL)-6 were measured in tissue homogenate supernatants. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; **** p < 0.0001. Data are expressed as the mean + S.D. pg/mL.