Effect of Curcumin on Serum and Liver Cholesterol Levels in the Rat

In rats fed cholesterol and curcumin, the coloring principle in turmeric,
levels of serum and liver cholesterol fell to one-half or one-third of those
in rats fed cholesterol and no curcumin. Deposition of cholesterol was found most
in liver sections from rats fed cholesterol and least in specimens from animals concurrently
fed curcumin. Curcumin increased fecal excretion of bile acids and cholesterol,
both in normal and hypercholesteremíc rats. This biliary drainage is a plausible
explanation for the reduction of tissue cholesterol on curcumin feeding. Alpha- and
ß-lipoproteins in blood plasma showed meaningful response to addition of curcumin.
The imbalance in these two lipoproteins brought about by cholesterol feeding was
nearly corrected by simultaneous feeding of curcumin. The above beneficial effects
of curcumin were about the same with 0.1% or 0.5% of curcumin in the diet, suggesting
that the effective level of curcumin may be even lower than 0.1%. Curcumin
maintained body and liver weights, correcting the ill effects in this respect caused
by ingested cholesterol. The effect of curcumin in keeping down cholesterol in conditions
which otherwise induced hypercholesteremia was not through alterations in
cecal microflora which are known to dismute and utilize bile acids in the gut.