Treatments for pancreatitis are limited. Activation of transcription factor NF-κB, a key regulator of inflammatory molecule expression, is an early event in experimental pancreatitis and correlates with the inflammatory response. We report here that curcumin, a natural phytochemical known to inhibit NF-κB and activator protein (AP)-1, another important proinflammatory transcription factor, ameliorates pancreatitis in two rat models. In both cerulein pancreatitis and pancreatitis induced by a combination of ethanol diet and low-dose CCK, curcumin improved the severity of the disease as measured by a number of parameters (histology, serum amylase, pancreatic trypsin, and neutrophil infiltration). Curcumin markedly inhibited NF-κB and AP-1 activation, assessed by DNA binding and degradation of inhibitory IκB proteins, and the induction of mRNAs for cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, the chemokine KC, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in pancreas. Curcumin also blocked CCK-induced NF-κB and AP-1 activation in isolated pancreatic acini. Our findings indicate that blocking key signals of the inflammatory response ameliorates pancreatitis in both ethanol and nonethanol models. They suggest that curcumin, which is currently in clinical trials for cancer prevention, may be useful for treatment of pancreatitis.