Cardioprotective effects of curcumin and piperine against obesity induced oxidative stress in rats.

One of the adverse effects of obesity is cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to estimate the preventive effect of curcumin (CUR) (100 mg/kg body w.) and piperine (PIP) (5 mg/kg body weight) orally treated for 8 weeks in obese rats against CVD. When rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), Castellis risk index, CKD-II, atherogenic index (AC), and serum insulin increased. Results showed decreased levels of antioxidants catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and increased levels of oxidative stress, including malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), in the hearts of HFD rats. Other changes included a significant decrease in the activity of cardiac Na+/K+ ATPase, as well as increases in cardiac inflammatory markers, including TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6. This was accompanied by further increases in serum C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP1), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1), as well as decreases in adiponectin levels. Furthermore, serum troponin T, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and myoglobin levels were increased and downregulating NF-κB gene expression. Histological examination revealed multiple changes in the hearts of obese rats. CUR + PIP intake suppressed obesity-induced cardiac oxidative stress, inflammation, and histological damage. Thus, these results suggest that CUR + PIP intake may help in preventing obesity-related health risks and cardiac toxicity.