INFLUENCE OF CURCUMIN AND CAPSAICIN ON CHOLESTEROL GALLSTONE INDUCTION IN HAMSTERS AND MICE

The efficacy of curcumin and capsaicin in reducing the incidence of cholesterol gallstone (CGS), induced experimentally by feeding a lithogenic diet was examined in weanling mice and hamsters. After feeding the lithogenic diet for the optimal duration of 10 weeks for mice and 6 weeks for hamsters, CGS were found in 100% of the animals. Feeding a diet containing 0.5% curcumin or capsaicin 5 mg/100g for 6 weeks to hamsters reduced the incidence of CGS to 44 or 22% respectively compared to the lithogenic group (100%). Biliary cholesterol concentrations and Cholesterol: Phospholipid (C:PL) ratios were markedly reduced by curcumin and capsaicin feeding. Further cholesterol saturation indices (CSI) of the curcumin and capsaicin groups were 0.54 and 0.35 respectively as compared to 1.56 for the lithogenic group. A dose response study in which mice were fed lithogenic diet supplemented with 1.5, 5, 15 mg capsaicin/100 g showed that 5 mg capsaicin containing diet was more effective than the other two levels in reducing percent CGS, the biliary, serum and liver cholesterol, C:PL ratio, and CSI of bile. Hence curcumin and capsaicin appear to be potent antilithogenic agents.