Concurrent Exposure to Light and Traffic Noise Pollution Augments Behavioral Deficits in Rats: Protective Effect of Curcumin

The current study was aimed to explore the effect of light and traffic noise pollution exposure on behavioral and neurochemical deficits in adult male Wistar rats. We hypothesized that exposure to these pollutants alone or in combination may cause behavioral deficits in rats. Animals were allocated into different groups and were exposed to either varying light cycles (150 lux-5lux, 14:10 hours) or traffic noise with sound level 100 dBA for 6 h/day or both for 28 days. Concurrently, Curcumin (100 mg/kg; per oral; 28 days) was administered in varying light cycles and noise exposed animal groups to study the preventive effect. After the exposure time, the Morris water maze test, elevated plus maze test, novel object recognition test, locomotor activity test, and forced swimming test were conducted. The neurobehavioral results suggested that only combined exposure of light and noise pollution markedly impaired the learning as well as spatial and reference memory in rats. Furthermore, we found significant anxiety (less no. of open arm entries in EPM) and depressive-like behavior (increased immobility time) in light or/and traffic noise pollution exposed group animals in comparison to normal control groups. Curcumin treatment significantly prevented the behavioral anomalies in combined light and noise exposed rats. Furthermore, our results revealed augmentation of acetylcholinesterase, oxidative stress markers and interleukin (IL)-1β in the hippocampal region of noise and light-exposed groups which were markedly ameliorated by curcumin. In conclusion, our results suggest that curcumin significantly modulates light and noise pollution exposed behavioral and neurochemical anomalies in rats.