Curcumin attenuates AFB1-induced oxidative stress and pyroptosis-associated responses while improving autophagy-related signaling in HD11 macrophages.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induces oxidative stress, autophagy-related impairment, and pyroptosis-associated responses in immune cells. This study evaluated the protective effects of curcumin against AFB1-induced cytotoxicity in HD11 macrophages and examined the involvement of Nrf2 signaling, autophagy-related activity, and the NLRP3 inflammasome using ML385, 3-MA, and MCC950. AFB1 suppressed Nrf2-related antioxidant signaling, reduced autophagy-related markers, and enhanced NLRP3-associated pyroptosis-related responses. Curcumin increased Nrf2-related activity, improved autophagy-related signaling, increased the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, and reduced the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, and GSDMA. ML385 attenuated the effects of curcumin on Nrf2-related signaling and autophagy-related markers, whereas 3-MA reduced the effects of curcumin on autophagy-related signaling and pyroptosis-associated responses. MCC950 reduced pyroptosis-related responses and increased autophagy-related markers without markedly altering Nrf2-related signaling. Overall, these findings suggest that coordinated regulation of the Nrf2-autophagy-NLRP3 network may contribute to the protective effects of curcumin against AFB1-induced cellular injury in HD11 macrophages.