Curcumin improves insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-fed mice through gut microbiota

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance precedes metabolic syndrome which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, there is a lack of safe and long-lasting methods for the prevention and treatment of insulin resistance. Gut microbiota dysbiosis can lead to insulin resistance and associated glucose and lipid metabolic dysfunction. Thus, the role of gut microbiota in metabolic diseases has garnered growing interest. Curcumin, the active ingredient of tropical plant Curcuma longa, has excellent prospects for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases. However, due to the extremely low bioavailability of curcumin, the mechanisms by which curcumin increases insulin sensitivity remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to elucidate the role of gut microbiota in mediating the effects of curcumin on improving insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. METHODS: Glucose, insulin, and pyruvate tolerance were tested and hepatic triglycerides (TGs) content was measured in HFD-fed mice treated with curcumin (100 mg kg(−1) d(−1), p.o.) or vehicle for 4 weeks and aforementioned mice after gut microbiota depletion via antibiotic treatment for 4 weeks. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was conducted in endogenous gut microbiota-depleted HFD-fed mice. Glucose and lipid metabolic phenotypes were also measured in recipient mice colonized microbiota from vehicle- or curcumin-treated HFD-fed mice. The mechanisms underlying the effects of curcumin on increasing insulin sensitivity were testified by Western blotting, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Curcumin ameliorated HFD-induced glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, pyruvate intolerance, and hepatic TGs accumulation, while these effects were mediated by gut microbiota. Curcumin induced insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation levels in insulin-regulated peripheral tissues. The inhibitory effects of curcumin on the expressions of genes involved in hepatic gluconeogenesis and de novo lipogenesis were dependent on gut microbiota. Meanwhile, curcumin upregulated the expression of fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF15) through gut microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of curcumin on promoting insulin sensitivity were dependent on gut microbiota in HFD-fed mice. Moreover, curcumin at least partly exerted its effects on increasing insulin sensitivity via FGF15 upregulation. This study provided new ideas on nutritional manipulations of gut microbiota for the treatment of metabolic diseases. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12986-022-00712-1.