Curcumin Attenuates Adipose Angiogenesis and Inflammation in Very High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity Mice

Umarat Srisawat, PhD¹, Nattapon Sookprasert, MD¹, Pritsana Piyabhan, PhD¹, Naphatsanan Duansak, PhD¹, Nakorn Mathuradavong, MD¹, Pholawat Tingpej, MD, PhD², Natwadee Poomipark, PhD³, Chatchawan Changtam, PhD⁴, Aylada Kaenu, MS⁵, Bhunyanunt Kiatpimolkul⁶, Bhornprom Yoysungnoen, PhD¹

Affiliation : ¹ Division of Physiology, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand; ² Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand; ³ Division of Biochemistry, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand; ⁴ Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, Samutprakarn, Thailand; ⁵ Graduate Program in Applied Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand; ⁶ Highschool student, St Andrews International School Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

Objective: To investigate the effects of curcumin (CUR) on adipose angiogenesis and inflammation in a very high-fat diet (VHFD)-induced obesity mouse model, focusing on molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-obesity properties.
Materials and Methods: Male ICR mice (8 mice per group) were randomly assigned to three groups: low-fat diet (LFD), VHFD + vehicle, and VHFD + CUR (300 mg/kg/day). Treatments were administered orally for six weeks. Body weight (BW) and visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT) weight were recorded. Adipose angiogenesis was evaluated by CD31 immunostaining. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in vWAT were assessed by immunohistochemistry.
Results: VHFD-fed mice exhibited significant increases in body weight, visceral fat weight, microvascular density (MVD), and the expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-9, TNF-α, and NF-κB compared with controls. CUR supplementation tended to reduce body weight and visceral fat weight and significantly suppressed MVD as well as the expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, MMP-2, and MMP-9. Moreover, CUR markedly reduced the pro-inflammatory markers TNF-α and NF-κB, thereby attenuating the inflammatory microenvironment in adipose tissue.
Conclusion: CUR attenuates obesity-associated adipose remodeling by suppressing angiogenesis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix remodeling enzymes through inhibition of the HIF-1α, VEGF, TNF-α, and NF-κB axis, underscoring its potential as a natural therapy for obesity.

Received 6 November 2025 | Revised 19 December 2025 | Accepted 22 December 2025
DOI: 10.35755/jmedassocthai.2026.5.03885

Keywords : Curcumin; Adipose angiogenesis; Anti-inflammation; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha


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