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.