Curcumin improves glycolipid metabolism through regulating peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ signalling pathway in high-fat diet-induced obese mice and 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Curcumin, an active component derived from the Curcuma longa L. which is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used for treating metabolic diseases through regulating different molecular pathway. Here, in this study, we aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of curcumin on glycolipid metabolism in vivo and in vitro and then determine the underlying mechanism. Male C57BL/6J obese mice and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were used in vivo and in vitro study, respectively. Our results demonstrated that treatment with curcumin for 8 weeks decreased body weight, fat mass and serum lipid profiles. Meanwhile, it lowered fasting blood glucose and increased the insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet induced obese mice. In addition, curcumin stimulated lipolysis and improve glycolipid through upregulating the expressions of ATGL, HSL, PPARγ, C/EBPα and PPARα in adipose tissue of the mice. In differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, curcumin reduced glycerol release and increased glucose uptake via upregulating PPARγ and C/EBPα. We concluded that curcumin has potential to improve glycolipid metabolism disorders caused by obesity through regulating PPARγ signaling pathway.