Curcumin ameliorates ulcerative colitis via inhibiting STAT3-mediated angiogenesis.

Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and persistent inflammatory bowel disease with limited clinical treatment options and significant therapeutic challenges. This study aimed to evaluate whether the therapeutic effect of curcumin against ulcerative colitis is positively correlated with its inhibition of angiogenesis and to elucidate the underlying angiogenesis-related molecular mechanism. Material and methods: A multi-database analysis was performed to predict the possible targets involved in curcumin inhibition of UC. Tube formation and aortic ring assays were used to evaluate angiogenesis Results: We first employed a comprehensive multi-database analysis to identify overlapping targets connecting curcumin, ulcerative colitis, and angiogenesis, leading to the identification of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as a potential mediator of this process. Conclusions: Curcumin ameliorates ulcerative colitis through inhibition of the VEGF-mediated JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. These findings position curcumin as a potential clinical candidate drug for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.