Curcumin Supplementation Effects on Aging Skeletal Muscle

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The decline in muscle mass and function with age, termed sarcopenia, leads to an inability to perform normal daily activities and a subsequent deterioration in quality of life. An increase in oxidative stress that results from an inability to adequately quench reactive oxygen species has been cited as an important mechanism of sarcopenia. Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, has garnered much attention due to its antioxidative properties. Although curcumin's antioxidant properties may also make it beneficial to sarcopenia, this theory has not been tested. Thus, this study examined the effects of curcumin supplementation on muscle force characteristics in aging rats. Fourteen thirty‐two‐month‐old, male F344xBN rats were provided purified diets (AIN‐93M) for four months. One group received the diet ad libitum (CON, n=5), a second group consumed the same diet which also contained 0.2% curcumin (CUR, n=4), and a third, pair fed (PAIR, n=4) group was included that received the purified diet in an amount equal to the food consumed by CUR animals. Following the supplementation period, the plantaris was assessed for in vivo twitch and tetanic force generation measurements. Body mass, muscle mass, and contractile characteristics were analyzed using independent sample t‐tests. Data are expressed as mean±SEM. CUR and PAIR animals had a lower dietary intake compared to the CON group, however, animal body mass did not differ between groups (p>0.05). Muscle mass (g) was significantly lower in the PAIR group (0.190±.019, p<0.05), while CUR and CON muscle mass was similar (0.285±0.016 and 0.306±0.014, respectively). Peak twitch and peak tetanic tension were not significantly different between groups (p>.05). However, normalized peak tetanic tension (N/g) was 30% higher in the CUR group compared to the PAIR group (CUR=77.52±9.881, PAIR=59.6±2.556). Studies are on‐going to increase sample size numbers and continue testing the effects of curcumin on muscle function parameters. Preliminary findings suggest that dietary curcumin may attenuate the declines in muscle mass incurred by a reduced food intake among pair fed, aging rats. We are also investigating the mechanisms by which curcumin may elicit these changes, which include measurements of antioxidant expression and activity, and oxidative stress.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the NIH, National Institute on Aging, Grant #1R36AG050734 ‐ 01 (CNR).