Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of curcumin oral supplementation (50 and 100 mg/Kg/day, for 30 days) in circumventing menopause-associated oxidative stress and lipid profile dysfunctions in a rat ovariectomy (OVX) model. Female Wistar rats were operated and randomly divided into either sham-operated or OVX groups. Sham-operated group (n = 8) and one OVX group (n = 11) were treated with vehicle (refined olive oil), and the other two OVX groups received curcumin at 50 or 100 mg/Kg/day doses (n = 8/group). OVX vehicle-treated animals presented a higher deposition of intestinal adipose tissue as well as increased serum levels of IL-6, LDL, and total cholesterol when compared to sham-operated rats. In addition, several oxidative stress markers in serum, blood, and liver (such as TBARS, carbonyl, reduced-sulphydryl, and nonenzymatic antioxidant defenses) were altered toward a prooxidant status by OVX. Interestingly, curcumin supplementation attenuated most of these parameters to sham comparable values. Thus, the herein presented results show that curcumin may be useful to ameliorate lipid metabolism alterations and oxidative damage associated with hormone deprivation in menopause.
Highlights
Ageing is accompanied by changes in the activity of several genes involved in the control of metabolism, antioxidant systems, DNA repair, cellular senescence, and death [1]
Sex hormone insufficiency is related to deep physiological alterations, which include increase in oxidative stress, bone loss, weight gain, and cardiovascular dysfunction among other complications associated with this period in animals and humans [33]
Menopause experimental models are widely used to reproduce the main aspects and changes associated with female hormone deprivation
Summary
Ageing is accompanied by changes in the activity of several genes involved in the control of metabolism, antioxidant systems, DNA repair, cellular senescence, and death [1]. Even though human lifespan in the 21th century has increased all over the world, especially in developed countries, the age when women enter their major age-related hormonal change (i.e., menopause) has remained constant, at around 50 years [2]. It means this phase could take part in almost one-third of women’s life. Menopause is a risk factor associated with the onset or/and progression of cardiovascular diseases [5, 6], and much of this correlation is attributed to the benefic effects of female sexual hormones in protecting the cardiovascular system, by either acting as inducers of antioxidant genes or functioning as endogenous free-radicals scavengers per se [7, 8]. Because the oxidative stress consequent of the lack sexual hormones has been
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
