Curcumin improves large elastic artery stiffness and reverses superoxide suppression of nitric oxide‐mediated vascular endothelial function in old mice

TL;DRAbstract

We tested the hypothesis that curcumin, a polyphenol found in the Indian spice turmeric, improves age‐associated large elastic artery stiffness and vascular endothelial dysfunction. Old control C57 male mice (27 mo, n=8) had greater aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) vs. young control (6 mo n=7) (448 ± 15 vs. 349 ± 15 cm/s, p < 0.05) and 4 wk of curcumin supplemented chow (0.2%) reduced aPWV in old mice (396 ± 15 cm/s, n=8). Old control mice had impaired ex‐vivo carotid artery endothelium‐dependent dilation (EDD) to acetylcholine (ACh) vs. young (79 ± 3 vs. 93 ± 2%), mediated by a smaller nitric oxide (NO) component (EDD to ACh + LNAME minus EDD to ACh alone, 39 ± 11 vs 74 ± 6%) (both p < 0.05). Curcumin restored EDD in old mice (92 ± 1%) by restoring its NO component (61 ± 7%). Incubation with the superoxide dismutase mimetic, TEMPOL, selectively improved EDD in old control mice (91 ± 3%, p < 0.05), but had no effect in the other groups. Endothelium‐independent dilation did no

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