Chronic exposure to low-dose
bisphenol A (BPA) has become a global problem of public health. Our previous work showed that low-dose BPA exposure caused gut microbial
dysbiosis and hepatic steatosis.
Curcumin, a
polyphenol extracted from turmeric, has an inhibitory effect on liver
lipid accumulation, whether
curcumin can alleviate BPA-induced hepatic steatosis through improving intestinal flora and modulating gut-liver axis remains to be elucidated. Male CD-1 mice were fed with BPA-contaminated diet supplemented with or not with
curcumin for 24 weeks.
Curcumin supplementation markedly ameliorated liver fat accumulation and hepatic steatosis induced by BPA. Gut microbiota analysis via
16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio were increased in BPA-fed mice, and this alteration was reversed by
curcumin treatment. Akkermansia, which was recognized as a potential probiotic, was significantly reduced after BPA exposure and was restored to the control level with
curcumin addition. Furthermore,
curcumin supplementation reversed the down-regulation of intestinal
tight junction protein expressions (
zona occludens-1 and
occludin), improved increased gut permeability, reduced serum
lipopolysaccharide level and suppressed the activation of hepatic
toll-like receptor 4 / nuclear factor-κB (TLR4/NF-κB) pathway induced by BPA. These results indicated that the protective effect of
curcumin against hepatic steatosis induced by BPA and further revealed that its mechanism might be its
prebiotic effect on maintaining intestinal flora homeostasis and improving intestinal barrier function, consequently reducing serum
lipopolysaccharide-triggered inflammatory response in the liver. Our work provides evidence for
curcumin as a potential nutritional
therapy for BPA-mediated hepatic steatosis.