Potential protective effect of curcumin in high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats

Background and aimNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem. There is yet no effective therapy for NAFLD. This study investigated the effects of curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric (a spice), in the prevention of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD model in rats.Materials and methodsNAFLD was induced by feeding rats with HFD composed of standard rat chow supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 10% lard. Rats were allocated into three groups and treated once daily for 16 weeks a follows: The normal control group was fed standard chow diet and received the vehicle; HFD fed rat (HFD-FR) control group (model group of NAFLD) and HFD-FR group were medicated with curcumin (60 mg/kg).ResultsDevelopment of NAFLD was demonstrated by necroinflammatory injury in the liver tissue, elevation in the level of the liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase together with increased liver index. Meanwhile, fatty liver was associated with body weight gain, visceral obesity, disturbances of oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase) and increased levels of the inflammatory parameters (tumor necrosis factor-α, C-reactive protein) alongside with decreased level of the anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, insulin-?sensitizing and antilipogenic, adiponectin. Treatment with curcumin significantly attenuated the development of these cardinal features of NAFLD.ConclusionCurcumin exhibited a kind of protection against HFD-induced NAFLD in rats. The protective effect relies at least in part on its antiobesity, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. Confirmation of the present findings warrants further animal and human studies.