title: Curcumin prevents high fat diet induced insulin resistance and obesity via attenuating lipogenesis in liver and inflammatory pathway in adipocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mechanisms underlying the attenuation of body weight gain and insulin resistance in response to high fat diet (HFD) by the curry compound curcumin need to be further explored. Although the attenuation of the inflammatory pathway is an accepted mechanism, a recent study suggested that curcumin stimulates Wnt signaling pathway and hence suppresses adipogenic differentiation. This is in contrast with the known repressive effect of curcumin on Wnt signaling in other cell lineages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We conducted the examination on low fat diet, or HFD fed C57BL/6J mice with or without curcumin intervention for 28 weeks. Curcumin significantly attenuated the effect of HFD on glucose disposal, body weight/fat gain, as well as the development of insulin resistance. No stimulatory effect on Wnt activation was observed in the mature fat tissue. In addition, curcumin did not stimulate Wnt signaling in vitro in primary rat adipocytes. Furthermore, curcumin inhibited lipogenic gene expression in the liver and blocked the effects of HFD on macrophage infiltration and the inflammatory pathway in the adipose tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the beneficial effect of curcumin during HFD consumption is mediated by attenuating lipogenic gene expression in the liver and the inflammatory response in the adipose tissue, in the absence of stimulation of Wnt signaling in mature adipocytes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Weijuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yuting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tuanyao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Foltz
authors.forename: Huogen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: I George
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Fantus
authors.forename: Tianru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050154:Adiposity / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050155:Lipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D007328:Insulin; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D003474:Curcumin; D005947:Glucose