Curcuminoids exert glucose-lowering effect in type 2 diabetes by decreasing serum free fatty acids: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

SCOPE: We previously found that curcuminoids decreased blood glucose and improved insulin resistance by reducing serum free fatty acids (FFAs) and increasing fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats. This study was to investigate whether curcuminoids have beneficial effects on type 2 diabetic patients, and its possible mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overweight/obese type 2 diabetic patients (BMI ≥ 24.0; fasting blood glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or postprandial blood glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L) were randomly assigned to curcuminoids (300 mg/day) or placebo for 3 months. Bodyweight, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ,% ), serum fasting glucose, FFAs, lipids, and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were determined. A total of 100 patients (curcuminoids, n = 50; placebo, n = 50) completed the trial. Curcuminoids supplementation significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (p < 0.01), HbA1c (p = 0.031), and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (p < 0.01) in type 2 diabetic patients. Curcuminoids also led to a significant decrease in serum total FFAs (p < 0.01), triglycerides (P = 0.018), an increase in LPL activity (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a glucose-lowering effect of curcuminoids in type 2 diabetes, which is partially due to decrease in serum FFAs, which may result from promoting fatty acid oxidation and utilization.

[DNA damage and changes of antioxidative enzymes in chronic benzene poisoning mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the damage effect of benzene on DNA and its mechanism and the changes of antioxidative enzymes in vivo. METHODS: DNA break in bone marrow cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes of mice exposed to benzene by 4 h static inhalation per day at different concentrations for two months were analyzed with single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). Meanwhile, the activity of SOD, GSH-Px and the level of MDA in liver, spleen and brain were detected. RESULTS: In low and high dosage groups, the rate of DNA migration of bone marrow cells (83.56% +/- 10.28%, 92.54% +/- 15.93%) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (41.27% +/- 6.03%, 65.79% +/- 11.62%) were higher than those in control (4.13% +/- 0.52% and 2.21% +/- 0.31% respectively, P<0.05]. The activity of SOD in liver [(754.33 +/- 116.30), (694.26 +/- 116.30) U/mg pro] and GSH-Px [(22.52 +/- 3.31), (18.56 +/- 4.97) U/mg pro] were lower than those in control [(999.92 +/- 188.24) and (35.31 +/- 6.63) U/mg pro respectively, P<0.05, P<0.01]. But there was no significant difference between the two dosage groups. The activity of GSH-Px in spleen of both groups [(31.38 +/- 2.71), (25.30 +/- 7.44) U/mg pro] were lower than that of control [(37.11 +/- 3.42) U/mg pro, P<0.05] and there was significant difference between the two dosage groups. The activity of GSH-Px in brain of both groups [(5.70 +/- 0.84), (5.24 +/- 1.19) U/mg pro, P<0.05] were lower than that of control [(7.10 +/- 0.46) U/mg pro, P<0.05], but there was no significant difference between the two dosage groups. The level of MDA in brain of high dosage group [(3.99 +/- 1.15) nmol/mg pro] was higher than that of control [(2.58 +/- 0.53) nmol/mg pro, P<0.05]. CONCLUSION: Chronic benzene poisoning may result in DNA break in bone marrow cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes and decrease in the activity of antioxidative enzymes.