Unveiling the role of gut microbiota in curcumin metabolism using antibiotic-treated mice

Curcumin might exert its therapeutic effects by interacting with gut microbiota. However, the role of gut microbiota in curcumin metabolism in vivo remains poorly understood. To address this, we used antibiotics to deplete gut microbiota and compared curcumin metabolism in control and antibiotic-treated mice. Using Q-TOF and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, we identified and quantified curcumin metabolites, revealing distinct metabolic pathways in these two mice groups. The novel metabolites, hexahydro-dimethyl-curcumin and hexahydro-didemethyl-curcumin were exclusively derived from gut microbiota. Additionally, gut bacteria deconjugated curcumin metabolites back into their bioactive forms. Moreover, control mice exhibited significantly lower curcumin degradation, suggesting a protective role of gut microbiota against degradation. In conclusion, our results indicated that gut microbiota might enhance the effectiveness of curcumin by deconjugation, production of active metabolites, and protection against degradation in the large intestine. This study enhances our understanding of the interactions between curcumin and gut microbiota.