Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin on Insulin Resistance Index, Levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Liver Histology in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Induced Rats

OBJECTIVE: Curcumin protects the liver against injury and fibrosis through suppressing hepatic inflammation, attenuating hepatic oxidative stress (OS), and inhibiting hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are considered as common metabolic disorders. Low-grade chronic inflammation with different markers, such as elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, play a crucial role in PCOS. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of curcumin on IL-6 and CRP levels as well as insulin resistance (IR) index on liver function in PCOS rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, 90 adult Wistar rats were divided into control (n=18), sham (n=18), PCOS (n=18) and curcumin-treated PCOS groups (n=36). PCOS group was injected subcutaneously with 2 mg estradio-valerate (E2V). After 60 days, PCOS group was treated with curcumin [100 and 300 mg/kg body weight (BW)] for 14 days and anesthetized by chloroform. Blood and liver samples were collected for histological and serological analyses. Data were analyzed using In-Stat 3 via one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Histological and serological analyses showed a reduction in number of necrotic cells, IR index, as well as IL-6 and CRP levels in PCOS rats that were treated with various concentrations of curcumin. CONCLUSION: In this study, curcumin decreased liver inflammation by induction of insulin sensitivity and reduction of hepatic necrosis. Therefore, curcumin may be considered as protective factor against inflammatory state of PCOS.