Supplementation with curcumin inhibits intestinal cholesterol absorption and prevents atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-fed apolipoprotein E knockout mice

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease caused by high cholesterol. Reduced intestinal cholesterol absorption has been shown to exert strong cholesterol-lowering and antiatherogenic effects. Previously, we reported that curcumin reduced cholesterol absorption in high-fat diet-fed hamster by downregulating the intestinal expression of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1. Here, we tested the hypothesis that supplementation with curcumin can also reduce intestinal cholesterol absorption in high-fat diet-fed apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice and prevent atherosclerosis development. ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with or without curcumin (0.1% w/w) for 16 weeks. Aortic sinus sections revealed that curcumin supplementation reduced the extent of atherosclerotic lesions by 45%. Curcumin treatment also reduced cholesterol accumulation in the aortas by 56% and lowered plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Moreover, the antiatherogenic and cholesterol-lowering effects of curcumin coincided with a significant decrease in intestinal cholesterol absorption. It was reduced by nearly 51%, and the decreased cholesterol absorption was modulated by inhibiting the intestinal expression of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1, predominantly in the duodenal and jejunal segments of the small intestine. These findings support the hypothesis that curcumin supplementation reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption and prevents atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-fed ApoE−/− mice. Curcumin affords a potent antiatherogenic action by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption in the mouse.