| Obesity is an important risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis, and often associated with hypercholesterolemia. Curcuminoid cider, a fermented beverage made from curcuminoid fraction isolated from Curcuma xanthorrhiza, has been reported to have high contents in organic acids and curcuminoids. Herein, we investigated whether curcuminoid cider affected the expression of genes related to obesity-induced inflammation (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors ? (PPAR?), CCAT/enhancer binding protein a (C/EBPa), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4)) and genes generating pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL) 1ß (IL1ß), tumour necrosis factor a (TNFa) and chemokine) in hypercholesterolaemic rats by conducting quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR). Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: normal group diet, high cholesterol diet (HCD), HCD+ 1% v/v curcuminoid cider, HCD + 2% v/v curcuminoid cider, HCD + 100 mg/kg bw curcuminoid fraction, and HCD + 300 mg/kg bw curcuminoid fraction for four weeks. Rats’ lung and liver were collected for total RNA extraction, followed by quantitative analysis to determine gene expression related to obesity and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results showed that curcuminoid cider at 1 and 2% v/v significantly reduced >80% gene expression of obesity-induced inflammation, including PPAR?, C/EBPa, FABP4, IL1ß, TNFa and chemokine in hypercholesterolaemic rats. Meanwhile, curcuminoid fraction at 100 and 300 mg/kg was effective to attenuate up to 80% PPAR? gene expression correlated to obesity. These results indicate that curcuminoid cider may exert antiobesity potential at molecular level through suppressing various genes related to obesity and pro-inflammatory cytokines in hypercholesterolaemic rats. It may be used as a potential candidate in functional beverage for management of obesity-induced inflammation. |