Curcumin ameliorates gestational diabetes in mice partly through activating AMPK

• Published in: Pharmaceutical biology Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 250 - 254
• Main Authors: Lu, Xuehong, Wu, Fei, Jiang, Mengxue, Sun, Xiujuan, Tian, Geng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.01.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: AMP; AMP-activated protein kinase; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases - drug effects; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; AMPK; Animals; Blotting, Western; Body size; Body weight; CAT; Catalase; Catalase - metabolism; Curcumin; Curcumin - administration & dosage; Curcumin - pharmacology; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - physiopathology; Diabetes, Gestational - drug therapy; Diabetes, Gestational - physiopathology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Gestation; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose tolerance; Glucose-6-phosphatase; Glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; GSH; HDAC4; Insulin; Insulin - metabolism; Intolerance; Kinases; Litter size; Litter Size - drug effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; SOD; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Thiobarbituric acid; HDAC4; AMPK; SOD; Glucose-6-phosphatase; GSH; CAT
• ISSN: 1388-0209; 1744-5116
• DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2019.1594311

Context: In vitro and in vivo research has shown that curcumin can alleviate diabetes and the relevant complications. Objective: To investigate the effect of curcumin on gestational diabetes (GD). Materials and methods: C57 BL/KsJ db /+ (db/+) mice and C57 BL/KsJ +/+ mice (10-12 weeks old) were divided into four groups (n = 15): normal pregnancy (C57 BL/KsJ +/+ ), GD (C57 BL/KsJ db /+ ), GD plus low dose curcumin (50 mg/kg, orally gavage every day) and GD plus high dose curcumin (100 mg/kg, orally gavage every day). The tolerance of glucose and insulin were measured on gestation day 10. Body weight at birth and litter size of offspring were investigated, and the expression of oxidative stress factors [thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)] and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), phospho-AMPK, histone deacetylases 4 (HDAC4), pHDAC4 and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in the livers were analyzed by ELISA and Western blot on gestation day 20. Results: High dose curcumin could partly ameliorate the intolerance of glucose and insulin, and completely restore the litter size and the body weight of GD mice through decreased TBARS expression (p < 0.05) and increased GSH, SOD and CAT expression (p < 0.05). Enhanced AMPK activation, accompanied with decreased HDAC4 and G6Pase expression (p < 0.05) were partly contributed to the alleviation of GD mediated by curcumin. Conclusions: Although further detailed mechanism needs to be deciphered, curcumin can be considered as an alternative treatment for gestational diabetes.