Effects of curcumin administration on Nesfatin-1 levels in blood, brain and fat tissues of diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE We evaluated the efficacy of curcumin administration on blood glucose levels and its relationship with nesfatin-1 levels in blood brain and adipose tissue of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 28 male rats were divided into four groups: control group, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) group, control plus curcumin group and type 2DM plus curcumin group. After fifteen days, blood samples were collected from sacrificed rats. Nesftain-1 levels were analysed from blood, brain, and fat tissues of rats in all groups. RESULTS Nesfatin-1 level was found to be significantly lower in blood, brain and fat tissues of type 2 DM rats compared to the control group. A significant decrease in fasting blood glucose levels was observed in the curcumin administration group compared to type 2 DM group. Improvement of fasting blood glucose level was accompanied by improvement of nesfatin-1 levels in blood, brain, and fat tissues. CONCLUSIONS As expected, curcumin administration caused significant improvement in fasting blood glucose levels. However, for the first time, we found marked improvements in nesfatin-1 levels in blood, brain, and fat tissues of type 2 DM rats. Thus, considering the crucial role of nesfatin-1 in regulation of glucose metabolism, it is logical to expect an interactive relationship between curcumin and nesfatin-1.