Effect of curcumin on hepatic heme oxygenase 1 expression in high fat diet fed rats: is there a triangular relationship?

High fat diet (HFD) is associated with oxidative stress induced fatty liver. Curcumin, an extract of Curcuma longa, has been shown to possess potent antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties. in this study, we investigated the effect of curcumin treatment on hepatic heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression along with pro- oxidant-antioxidant status and lipid accumulation in rats fed an HFD. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed among 4 groups: Group 1, which was fed the control diet (10% of total calories from fat); Group 2, which was fed the HFD (60% of total calories from fat); and groups 3 and 4, which received the HFD supplemented with curcumin and the control diet supplemented with curcumin (1g/kg diet; w/w), respectively, for 16 weeks. HFD caused increases in hepatic lipid levels, production of reactive oxygen species, and lipid peroxidation. Further, HO-1 expression was significantly decreased. Histopathological examination showed hepatic fat accumulation and slight fibrotic changes. Curcumin treatment reduced hepatic lipids and oxidative stress parameters, and HO-1 expression was significantly increased. These findings suggest that increased HO-1 expression, along with suppressed oxidative stress as well as reduced hepatic fat accumulation and fibrotic changes, contribute to the beneficial effects of curcumin in attenuating the pathogenesis of fatty liver induced metabolic diseases. Key words: obesity, fatty liver, antioxidant enzymes, ROS, MDA, hepatic lipids, turmeric. Une diete riche en gras (DRG) est liee au foie gras induit par le stress oxydant. La curcumine, un extrait de Curcuma longa, possede d'importantes proprietes anti-oxydantes et hypo-lipemiantes. Dans cette etude, les auteurs ont examine l'effet d'un traitement a la curcumine sur l'expression de l'heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) hepatique, l'etat pro-oxydant-antioxydant et l'accumulation de lipides chez les rats soumis a une DRG. Des rats males Sprague-Dawley ont ete repartis en quatre groupes : Groupe 1 nourri a la diete controle (10% des calories totales fournies par les lipides), Groupe 2 nourri a la DRG (60% des calories totales fournies par les lipides), Groupes 3 et 4 nourris respectivement a la diete controle ou la DRG avec de la curcumine (1 g/kg diete, p/p) pendant 16 semaines. La DRG provoquait une hausse significative des niveaux de lipides hepatiques, de la production d'ERO et de la peroxydation lipidique. L'expression d'HO-1 etait significativement diminuee. L'examen histopathologique a montre une accumulation de graisse hepatique et une legere fibrose. Le traitement a la curcumine reduisait les lipides hepatiques et les parametres lies au stress oxydant. L'expression d'HO-1 etait significativement accrue. Ces donnees suggerent que l'expression accrue d'HO-1 parallelement a la suppression du stress oxydant et la reduction de l'accumulation de graisse hepatique et de la fibrose, peut contribuer aux effets benefiques de la curcumine dans l'attenuation de la pathogenese des maladies metaboliques induites par le foie gras. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : obesite, foie gras, enzymes anti-oxydantes, ERO, MDA, lipides hepatiques, curcuma.
Introduction in modern city life, consuming food rich in fat has become a common habit that usually leads to the deposition of the dietary fat in the body, mainly in [...]