Abstract:
Obesity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, increasing the risk for chronic
diseases. Thus, the need to identify more effective anti-obesity agents has spurred significant interest
in the health-promoting properties of natural compounds. Of these, curcumin, the most abundant
and bioactive constituent of turmeric, possesses a variety of health benefits including anti-obesity
effects. However, despite its anti-obesity potential, curcumin has demonstrated poor bioavailability,
which limits its clinical applicability. Synthesizing curcumin derivatives, which are structurally
modified analogs of curcumin, has been postulated to improve bioavailability while maintaining
therapeutic efficacy. This review summarizes in vitro and in vivo studies that assessed the effects of
curcumin derivatives against obesity and its associated metabolic complications. We identified eight
synthetic curcumin derivatives that were shown to ameliorate obesity and metabolic dysfunction
in diet-induced obese animal models, while five of these derivatives also attenuated obesity and
associated metabolic complications in cell culture models. These curcumin derivatives modulated
adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, steatosis, lipotoxicity, inflammation, oxidative
stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, autophagy, fibrosis, and dyslipidemia to a greater
extent than curcumin. In conclusion, the findings from this review show that compared to curcumin,
synthetic curcumin derivatives present potential candidates for further development as therapeutic
agents to modulate obesity and obesity-associated metabolic complications.
