Curcumin induces secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 through an oxidation-dependent mechanism
Open accessAbstract
Curcumin shows antiglycemic effects in animals. Curcumin is chemically unstable at physiological pH, and its oxidative degradation products were shown to contribute to its anti-inflammatory effects. Since the degradation products may also contribute to other effects, we analyzed their role in the antiglycemic activity of curcumin. We quantified curcumin-induced release of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) from mouse STC-1 cells that represent enteroendocrine L-cells as a major source of this anti-diabetic hormone. Curcumin induced secretion of GLP-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Two chemically stable analogues of curcumin that do not readily undergo degradation, were less active while two unstable analogues were active secretagogues. Chromatographically isolated spiroepoxide, an unstable oxidative metabolite of curcumin with anti-inflammatory activity, also induced secretion of GLP-1. Stable compounds like the final oxidative metabolite bicyclopentadione, and the major plasma metabolite, curcumin-glucuronide, were inactive. GLP-1 secretion induced by curcumin and its oxidative degradation products was associated with activation of PKC, ERK, and CaM kinase II. Since activity largely correlated with instability of curcumin and the analogues, we tested the extent of covalent binding to proteins in STC-1 cells and found it occurred with similar affinity as N-ethylmaleimide, indicating covalent binding occurred with nucleophilic cysteine residues. These results suggest that oxidative metabolites of curcumin are involved in the antiglycemic effects of curcumin. Our findings support the hypothesis that curcumin functions as a pro-drug requiring oxidative activation to reveal its bioactive metabolites that act by binding to target proteins thereby causing a change in function.
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In experimental studies, specific bioactives also stimulate GLP-1 secretion, for example, polyphenols in fruits and vegetables, catechins in green tea, curcumin in turmeric, capsaicin in chili peppers, omega-3 fatty acids in fish, and cinnamon and ginger.
“In experimental studies, specific bioactives also stimulate GLP-1 secretion, for example, polyphenols in fruits and vegetables, catechins in green tea, curcumin in turmeric, capsaicin in chili peppers, omega-3 fatty acids in fish, and cinnamon and ginger [266,267].”
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- Authors
- Alli-Oluwafuyi, A.-M., Luis, P. B., Nakashima, F., Giménez-Bastida, J. A., Presley, S. H., Duvernay, M. T., Iwalewa, E. O., & Schneider, C.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- University of Ibadan (NG)
- Corresponding author
- Schneider, Claus
- Venue
- Biochimie
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-10
- Volume
- 165
- Pages
- 250-257
- ISSN
- 0037-9042 (ISSN-L)
- 0300-9084
- PMC
- PMC6746602
- OpenAlex
- W2970063904
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Biochimie (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01AT006896)
- Fulbright Scholarship (E056609)
- American Heart Association (16POST30690001)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Curcumin's Biomedical Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Natural Antidiabetic Agents Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress
- Keywords
- curcumin, glucagon-like peptide-1, oxidative degradation products, spiroepoxides, enteroendocrine L cells, STC-1 cells, covalent protein binding, cysteine residues, prodrugs, oxidative activation, protein kinase C, ERK, CaM kinase II, anti-diabetic effects
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal, Curcumin, Hypoglycemic Agents, Oxidation-Reduction, Cell Line, Tumor, Glucagon-Like Peptide 1
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