Background and Objective: Diabetes influences the normal function of the pituitary-thyroid axis. According to the antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of curcumin and the different effects of electromagnetic fields on animal cells, this study was done to evaluate the effect of curcumin and weak low frequency electromagnetic fields on thyroid hormone serum levels in male diabetic rats.

Materials and Methods: 49 male rats were divided into 7 equal groups: control and diabetic control (DMSO), diabetic 1 (200 mg/kg of curcumin), diabetic 2 (curcumin + EMF 30 gauss), diabetic 3 (curcumin + EMF 500 gauss), diabetic 4 (EMF 30 gauss), diabetic 5 (EMF 500 gauss). Diabetic control and experimental diabetic groups became diabetic only one time by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan. Curcumin was intraperitoneally injected to experimental diabetic groups 1, 2 and 3 for 25 days. Diabetic groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 received daily exposure to an electromagnetic field for 60 minutes. At the end of injection, serum levels of thyroid hormones were measured using ELISA. The statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Tukey tests (p>0.05).

Results: Thyroid hormones serum levels of diabetic groups 1, 2 and 4 significantly increased compared to the diabetic control group (p>0.05) and significantly decreased in diabetic group 5 (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Findings indicate that curcumin increases thyroid hormones in diabetic rats. This effect was intensified with simultaneous use of a 30 gauss electromagnetic field.