OBJECTIVE: To detect antioxidant and antiinflammatory efficacy of Curcumin (Cur) on lung tissue in rats with sepsis.METHODS: Totally 32 rats were divided into 4 groups;the rats in Group 1 (control group) had abdominal incision under sterile conditions following anesthesia and the abdomen was sutured.Abdominal incision was performed in the rats in Group 2 (Cur group) under sterile conditions following anesthesia and the abdomen was closed.Cur was given to this group after dissolving within dimethylsulphoxide as 100 mg/kg through oral gavage and started for 3 d before surgical procedure.Group 3 (CLP group) had caecal ligation and punction (CLP) under sterile conditions to create sepsis following anesthesia and the abdomen was sutured.CLP was performed in the rats in Group 4 (CLP + Cur group) under sterile conditions following anesthesia to create a sepsis model and the abdomen was closed.Cur was also given to this group after dissolving within dimethylsulphoxide as 100 mg/kg through oral gavage and started for 3 d before surgical procedure.All the rats were sacrificed through blood aspiration from the heart under sterile conditions following anesthesia and lung tissues were removed after 24 h following the surgical procedures.The tissue samples were homogenizated for biochemical analyses;and malondialdehyde (MDA),nitric okxide (NO),myeloperoxidase (MPO),superoxidedysmutase (SOD) nd catalase (CAT) were analyzed through spectrophotometric method,immunhistochemical iNOS staining was performed to assess the inflammation;and histopathological differences between the groups were evaluated.RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease was detected in the CLP + Cur group when compared with the CLP group of which Cur was not given in terms of MDA,MPO and NO levels (P ＜ 0.05) whereas a statistically significant elevation was fpund in the CLP + Cur group when compared with the CLP group in terms of SOD and CAT levels (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: The study outcomes revealed that supplementation of Cur presents an antioxidant effect by reducing the free radical level and increasing the antioxidant enzyme levels;and an antiinflammatory effect by reducing iNOS level.