Curcumin attenuates diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats.
BACKGROUND
Curcumin (a component of turmeric) has long been used as a spice and food-coloring agent. In experimental animals, curcumin has shown anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and anti-oxidant properties.


METHODS
The possible hypolipidemic effect of curcumin was investigated in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD). The lipid profile and activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were assessed in serum, as well as anti-oxidant parameters in liver tissues.


RESULTS
Feeding the animals a high cholesterol diet (HCD) for 7 consecutive days (1 ml 100 g(-1)) resulted in marked hypercholesterolemia, increased serum level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), but a decreased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Curcumin admixed with the diet (0.5% w/w) decreased serum total cholesterol (TC) by about 21% and LDL-C by 42.5%, but it increased serum HDL by 50%. The atherogenic indices (LDL-C/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C) were reduced by 52% and 35%, respectively. Curcumin also decreased the enzyme activities of serum AST and ALT, which were increased in HCD animals.


CONCLUSIONS
Curcumin showed an obvious hypocholesterolemic effect that could be due to an effect on cholesterol absorption, degradation or elimination, but not due to an anti-oxidant mechanism. This could be supported by the finding in our study that neither HCD nor curcumin-admixed HCD had any effects on the liver content of glutathione (GSH) or superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Thus one could argue that ingestion of curcumin-containing spices in the diet, especially one rich in fats, could have a lipid-lowering effect.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt. hmmarafa@yahoo.com
Hossam M M
HM
Arafa
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003474:Curcumin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D002784:Cholesterol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D003474:Curcumin