['Consumption of high fructose is associated with metabolic abnormalities, insulin resistance, and hypertension. It is not known whether this hypertensive effect of fructose is related to metabolic abnormalities or due to the direct effect of fructose on blood vessels.', 'Here, we investigated the direct effect of fructose on rat isolated aorta and the possible protective effect of curcumin.', 'The isolated rat thoracic aorta rings were used to measure the contractile responses to different concentrations of both phenylephrine and KCl, and the relaxant response to acetylcholine (Ach). The effect of curcumin (1\u2009µM) alone or in combination with tempol (1\u2009mM), a superoxide dismutase mimetic agent, and N-{[3(amino-methyl)-phenyl]-methyl} ethanimidamide dihydrochloride (1400\u2009W), a specific inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, (1\u2009µM) on fructose-treated aorta was compared. The aortic rings were incubated with different treatments for 60\u2009min before starting the experiment. Changes in the intracellular calcium in response to KCl and nitric oxide levels were also measured.'] Does curcumin attenuate fructose-induced vascular dysfunction of isolated rat thoracic aorta rings?