Curcumin Inhibits Age-Related Vascular Changes in Aged Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Inhibiting the onset of arteriosclerotic disease, which has been increasing due to the westernized diet and aging, is a significant social challenge. Curcumin, a type of polyphenol, has anti-oxidative effects and anti-inflammatory action and is expected to treat and to have prophylactic effects on different diseases. In this study, we examined the effects of long-term administration of curcumin on vascular aging and chronic inflammation—the causes of arteriosclerotic disease. Eight-week-old C57BL/6J mice were fed with high fat diet (HFD) or 0.1% curcumin-mixed HFD (HFD + Cu) until 80 weeks old (n = 20 for each group). After the breeding, we examined the expression of antioxidant enzymes, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), oxidative stress, vascular aging, and inflammatory changes in the aorta. In the HFD group, oxidative stress increased with decreased sirt1 expression in the aorta followed by increased senescent cells and enhanced inflammation. Whereas in the HFD + Cu group, HO-1 was induced in the aorta with the suppression of oxidative stress. Additionally, it was shown that sirt1 expression in the aorta in the HFD + Cu group remained at a level comparable to that of the 8-week-old mice with suppression of increased senescent cells and enhanced inflammation. Consequently, disorders associated with HFD were resolved. These results suggest that curcumin might be a food with a prophylactic function against arteriosclerotic disease.

Food as medicine: targeting the uraemic phenotype in chronic kidney disease

“…Additionally, curcumin a natural senolytic agent, also acts as a Nrf2 agonist 3,164 . Correpondingly, curcumin has been reported to reduce oxidative stress via activation of heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and reduce the number senescent cells and inflammation in a murine model of vascular ageing 165 .…”

The Role of Curcumin in the Modulation of Ageing

“…However, it is not known whether curcumin induced apoptosis in p16-positive cells, especially whether the overall parameters of apoptosis were increased in the ovaries [ 161 ]. Subsequently, in atherosclerotic rats, curcumin diminished SA-β-gal activity in the aorta and the level of an inflammatory marker, MCP-1, in serum [ 162 ]. Curcumin increased the survival of rat mesenchymal stem cells and decreased population-doubling time indirectly, which indicates that it can influence replicative senescence [ 163 ].…”

The Protective Effect of Chlorogenic Acid on Vascular Senescence via the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

“…Moreover, Nrf2 has been demonstrated to play a role in slowing aging processes by mediating the beneficial effects of many manipulations that extend longevity and health span [ 33 , 34 ]. Several polyphenols, such as resveratrol and curcumin, have been reported to attenuate aging via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. In addition, CGA has been reported to enhance the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in several cells [ 38 ].…”