Abstract: To explore the effect and possible mechanism of curcumin on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle in the acidification environmental caused by ischemic hypoxia.The rats' thoracic aorta VSMC cells were cultured in vitro in pH 6.9,treated with curcumin and PCTX-1 respectively,and the blank control group was set.The expression of ASICS 1a protein and phosphorylation ERK1/2 protein was measured by Western-Blot assay,the effect of each treatment group on the proliferation of VSMC was measured by CCK-8 method.The results showed that the pH 6.9 group can significantly stimulate the expression of ASICS 1a and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in VSMC and promote the proliferation of VSMC.However,curcumin can significantly inhibit the expression of ASICS 1a and intracellular phosphorylation of ERK1/2 protein in the vascular smooth muscle cells of rats' thoracic aorta,thereby inhibiting the proliferation of VSMC.In the acidification environment caused by ischemia hypoxia,the expression of ASICS 1a protein on rats' thoracic aortic vascular smooth muscle increased,caused ERK1/2 phosphorylation in cells,managed the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle,while curcumin showed the inhibitory effect.

Key words: curcumin, vascular smoothmuscle cells, cell proliferation, acid-sensing ion channel 1a, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2