Table 1.

Effects of curcumin: in vitro adipocyte studies.

Cell	Curcumin Concentration/Duration	Effect	Reference
Human adipocytes	20 µM; 14 days	↑ Adipocyte differentiation ↑ Glucose elevation levels ↑ PPAR-γ activity	[40]
Human adipocytes	20 µM; 14 days	↑ Adipocyte differentiation ↑ Glucose elevation levels ↑ PPAR-γ activity	[41]
Raw 264.7 macrophages and 3T3-L1 adipocytes	10 µM; 24 h	↓ Macrophage migration ↓ MCP-1 ↓ TNF-α ↓ NO	[42]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 20 min and 62 h	↓ TNFα-activated NF-κB signaling ↓ IκB degradation ↓ NF-κB nuclear transition ↓ TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA ↓ COX-2 mRNA ↓ IL-6 and PGE2 secretion	[43]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	5–20 µM; 24 h	↓ Adipogenesis ↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Apoptosis ↑ Phospho-AMPK) ↑ Phospho-ACC ↓ GPAT-1 mRNA ↑ CPT-1 mRNA	[44]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	5–20 µM; 24 h	↑ Glucose uptake ↓ TNF-α mRNA ↓ IL-6 mRNA ↓ NF-κBp65 protein ↓ Phospho-JNK ↓ Phospho-ERK ↓ Phospho-p38	[45]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10–50 µM; 8 days	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↑ Phospho-AMPK ↓ PPARγ activity	[46]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10–25 µM; 48 h	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Phospho-JNK ↓ Phospho-ERK ↓ Phospho-p38 ↑ β-catenin nuclear translocation ↓ CK1α, GSK-3β and Axin mRNA ↓ AP2 mRNA ↓ Wnt10b, Fz2 and LRP5 mRNA ↑ c-Myc and cyclin D1 mRNA	[47]
Rabbit subcutaneous adipocytes	5–20 µM; 24 h	↑ Cholesterol efflux ↑ PPARγ, LXRα and ABCA1 mRNA	[48]
3T3-L1 adipocytes and human primary preadipocytes	5–30 µM; 6 days	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Lipid accumulation ↓ C/EBPβ, C/EBPα, PPARγ, leptin, adiponectin and resistin mRNA ↓ MCE ↓ S to G2/M phase transition ↓ Cyclin A and CDK2 protein	[49]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 48 h	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Lipid accumulation ↓ Fatty acid synthase ↓ Acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA ↓ PPARγ and CD36 mRNA	[50]
3T3-L1 adipocytes and preadipocytes	20 µM; 48 h	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ C/EBPβ, C/EBPα, PPARγ, leptin, adiponectin and resistin mRNA	[51]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10–20 µM; 24 h	↓ Lipolysis ↓ Phospho-ERK1/2 ↓ Phospho-perilipin ↑ Perilipin ↓ Hormone-sensitive lipase translocation	[52]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10 and 50 µM; 24 h	↓ LPS-induced leptin levels ↓ LPS-induced IL-6 secretion	[53]
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)	15 µM; 10 days	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ PPARγ2 mRNA ↓ C/EBPα mRNA	[54]
Human adipocytes	15 µM; 24 h	↓ Oxidative stress ↓ ROS production	[55]
Primary rat adipocytes	20 µM; 45 min	↓ Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake	[56]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 24 h	↓ Cell injury ↓ ROS production ↓ HIF1α mRNA ↓ Lactate release ↓ Glycerol release ↓ Lipid peroxidation ↓ Protein oxidation ↑ SOD and CAT activities ↓ TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β and IFN-γ ↑ Mito biogenesis ↑ Mito membrane potential ↓ Mito superoxide production ↓ Transition pore permeability	[57]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10 µM; 48 h	↓ Lipid accumulation ↓ PPARγ, aP2 and C/EBPα mRNA ↑ CPT-1, MCAD and VLCAD mRNA ↑ ACOX and thiolase mRNA ↑ PPARα reporter mRNA	[58]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10–100 µM; 24–72 h	↓ Cell viability ↑ Apoptosis ↑ Bax ↓ Bcl-2 ↑ Cytochrome c release ↑ PARP cleavage	[59]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	0–50 µM; 0–24 h	↓ Glucose uptake ↓ Akt protein ↓ Glucose transporter (GLUT4) plasma membrane expression ↓ Trypsin-like peptidase activities ↓ p62 protein ↑ LC3-II protein ↑ LC3-II/LC3-I ratio	[60]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	10 µg/mL; 24 h	↑ Lipolysis ↓ Lipid accumulation ↑ Free fatty acid levels ↑ Glycerol levels ↑ Adipose triglyceride lipase mRNA ↑ Hormone-sensitive lipase mRNA ↓ Leptin levels	[61]
Primary adipocytes	20 µM; 8 days	↓ Adipogenesis ↓ Lipogenesis ↓ Protein levels associated with lipolysis ↓ Protein levels associated with fatty acid β-oxidation ↓ Protein levels associated with energy expenditure ↓ ALDH2, ATP5B and PRDX5 ↑ ACCA2, ACO2, ATP5H, CS, DLD, GLUD1, HADHA, HSPD1, Hsp10, HSPE1 and VDAC1 ↓ ANXA2 and HSP90 protein ↑ ATP5B, HSL, CA3 and MDH protein ↑ Ucp1, Ucp2 and Ucp3 mRNA	[62]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 72 h	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Ubiquitin proteasome activity ↓ Skp2 protein accumulation ↑ p27 protein accumulation ↑ G1 arrest ↓ p27 mRNA	[63]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	25 µM; 30 min	↓ Lipid accumulation ↓ MCE ↓ C/EBPα and PPARγ protein ↑ Cell cycle arrest ↓ Cyclin A, cyclin B and p21 protein ↓ Phospho-ERK ↓ Phospho-JNK ↓ Phospho-p38	[64]
3T3-L1 and primary adipocytes	20 µM; 6 days	↑ Brown fat phenotype ↑ Mitochondrial biogenesis ↑ Mitochondrial density ↑ PGC-1α, PPARγ, PRDM16 and Ucp1 protein ↑ PGC-1α mRNA ↑ Mito CPT1 protein ↑ Cytochrome c protein ↑ Phospho-AMPK ↑ AMPK	[65]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 24 h	↑ Glucose metabolism ↑ Lipid metabolism ↓ Glycerol release ↑ Glucose uptake ↑ PPARγ and C/EBPα mRNA ↑ PPARγ and C/EBPα protein	[66]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 24 h	↓ Glucose uptake ↑ Insulin sensitivity ↓ Leptin levels ↑ Adiponectin levels ↓ Resistin mRNA ↓ MCP-1 levels ↓ TLR-4 mRNA ↓ NF-kB p65 nuclear fraction ↓ Phospho-JNK1/2 ↓ Phospho-IRS-1(S) ↑ IRS-2 protein ↓ GLUT1 mRNA and protein ↑ GLUT4 mRNA and protein ↓ MMP-2, MMP-9 and VEGF protein ↓ Angpt4 protein level	[67]
3T3-L1 adipocytes	20 µM; 7 days	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Lipid content accumulation ↓ C/EBPα, αP2, SREBP1c and PPARγ mRNA ↓ FAS protein ↑ UCP1 and PGC-1α protein ↑ Oxygen consumption rate ↑ Cell cycle arrest ↓ Cyclin D1, cyclin D3, CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 protein	[68]
Primary and mouse brown adipocyte cell (mBAC) adipocytes	2 µM; 10 h	↓ WAT inflammation ↑ UCP1, PPARα and PGC-1α mRNA (primary) ↑ UCP1, PPARα, PPARγ and PGC-1α mRNA (mBAC)	[69]
Human bone marrow MSCs	10 µM; 10 days	↓ Adipocyte differentiation ↓ Lipid content accumulation ↓ PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4 and KLF15 mRNA and protein	[70]