Inhibitory effects of curcumin on high glucose-induced damages: Implications for alleviating diabetic complications

Hyperglycemia found in diabetes mellitus causes several physiological abnormalities including the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and oxidative stress. Accumulation of AGEs and elevation of oxidative stress plays major roles in the development of diabetic complications. Adiponectin secreted from adipocytes is known to improve insulin sensitivity and blood glucose level. Curcumin (CCM), a bioactive component of turmeric, has been reported as a potent antioxidant. Present work aimed to elucidate the roles of CCM in high glucose-induced protein glycation and intracellular events in mature adipocytes. The results demonstrated that CCM inhibited the formation of fluorescent AGEs by approximated 52% at 3 weeks of bovine serum albumin (BSA) glycation with glucose. Correspondingly, CCM decreased the levels of fructosamine and ${\alpha}-dicarbonyl$ compounds during BSA glycation with glucose. These data suggested that CCM might be a new promising anti-glycation agent. Also, CCM reduced high glucose-induced oxidative stress in a dose dependent manner, whereas CCM treatment time-dependently elevated the expression of adiponectin gene in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The findings from this study suggested the possibility of therapeutic use of CCM for the prevention of diabetic complications and obesity-related diseases.