Background: Cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is one of the major causes of myocardial injury. Curcumin, an active component extracted from tumeric in curry, has anti-inflammatory, andti-oxidative, and anti-cancer properties. This study was designed to investigate whether curcumin can exert beneficial effects on myocardial I/R injury. Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 150-200 g were received normal (n=15) or curcumin diet (160 mg/kg of body weight/day, n=25) for one week, and I/R rat model was induced by ligation of left anterior descending artery (LAD) for 30 minutes followed by release. After 24 hours, myocardium was extracted to evaluate myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, lipid peroxidation by measuring thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substance, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 protein level by Western blot. NF-觀B p65 activation was determined by immunocytochemistry using rat neonatal cardiomyocyte. Apoptotic cardiomyocytes and neutrophils were quantified by TUNEL staining and H&E staining. Results: In rat neonatal cardiomyocytes, NF-觀B p65 was activated by both I/R and TNF-慣 (10 ng/mL) in 30 minutes, which was blocked by curcumin (10 關M) significantly. In infarcted myocardium from curcumin-fed rats, myocardial MPO activity (32.9짹2.2% of control, p=0.001), lipid peroxidation (85.6짹9.8% of control, p=0.013), and VCAM-1 protein (28.7짹2.9% of control, p=0.001) were attenuated. The number of neutrophils was lower in infarcted myocardium from curcumin-fed rats (57짹12% of control, p=0.024). Besides, reduction of apoptotic cardiomyocytes was observed in infarcted myocardium from curcumin-fed rats (36짹9.2% of control, p=0.032). Conclusions: The cardioprotective effects of curcumin on I/R myocardial injury could have diverse explanations including the inhibitions of NF-觀B activation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.