Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver can include anything from a simple steatosis to a more severe form of liver cirrhosis. Inflammatory and profibrotic mechanisms are crucial factors in the progression of this condition. Curcumin has been shown to have antioxidant properties and possible hepatic and vasoprotective actions against this disorder.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed a hypercholesteraemic diet to induce non-alcoholic fatty liver and divided into two groups: fatty liver with curcumin and fatty liver without curcumin. After euthanasia, blood was collected to measure transaminases levels and lipid profile parameters in the plasma, and the livers were homogenised to measure the of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes. We also examined other parameters such as isolated superior mesenteric artery function, portal pressure and anatomopathological studies. The results were expressed as mean±SEM, and the differences between groups were evalued using Student´s t test and MannWhitney test with p<0.05 being significant.

Results: Significant differences were observed for the following parameters in the groups without curcumin and with curcumin, respectively: Glutamic pyruvate transaminase (87±11.3 vs. 60.8±9.8IU/l);superoxide dismutase activity (3.46±0.52 vs. 12.16±2.75 U/mg); and catalase activity (6414±735 vs. 9410±1791 U/mg). In addition, a greater vasodilator response to acetylcholine was found in the group given curcumin (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Curcumin improves antioxidant capacity by decreasing the action of free radicals and oxidative stress that cause endothelial dysfunction and hepatic 4inflammation associated to non-alcoholic fatty liver. Future clinical studies in humans are needed to evaluate the development of alternative therapeutic strategies.