A potential role for the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 in the therapeutic effect of curcumin in dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid‐induced colitis in mice

A protective role of the transient potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) in intestinal inflammation induced by dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS) has been recently demonstrated. Curcumin, the major active component of turmeric, is also able to prevent and ameliorate the severity of the damage in DNBS‐induced colitis. We evaluated the possibility that curcumin (45 mg kg−1 day p.o. for 2 days before and 5 days after the induction of colitis) was able to reduce DNBS‐induced colitis in mice, by acting as a TRPV1 agonist. Macroscopic damage score, histological damage score and colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were significantly lower (by 71%, 65% and 73%, respectively; P