Curcumin May Help Prevent Liver Damage

ST. LOUISCurcumin, a chemical found in the popular curry spice turmeric, may help slow or prevent damage from the fatty liver disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to a new study published in the September issue of Endocrinology. NASH, linked to obesity and weight gain, affects 3 percent to 4 percent of U.S. adults and can lead to a type of liver damage called liver fibrosis and possibly cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.

Researchers at Saint Louis University are studying the molecular mechanism of liver fibrosis and searching for natural ways to prevent and treat this type of liver damage.

"While research in an animal model and human clinical trials are needed, our study suggests that curcumin may be an effective therapy to treat and prevent liver fibrosis, which is associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)," said Anping Chen, Ph.D., corresponding author and director of research in the pathology department of Saint Louis University.

High levels of blood leptin, glucose and insulin are commonly found in human patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which might contribute to NASH-associated liver fibrosis. Chen's most recent work tested the effect of curcumin on the role of high levels of leptin in causing liver fibrosis in vitro.

High levels of leptin activate hepatic stellate cells, which are the cells that cause overproduction of the collagen protein, a major feature of liver fibrosis. The researchers found that among other activities, curcumin eliminated the effects of leptin on activating hepatic stellate cells, which short-circuited the development of liver damage.