Curcumin counteracts cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by preventing renal tubular cell apoptosis.

Curcumin has several biological functions particularly antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The aims of this study are determination of the protective effects of curcumin on cisplatin-induced renal tubular cell apoptosis and related pathways in kidney. Eighteen male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 6): the control, cisplatin (CP), and cisplatin + curcumin (CP + CUR). Acute renal damage was induced by single dose of cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg) injected by intraperitoneally (i.p). The animals of curcumin-treated group were received daily 200 mg/kg curcumin per os (po), starting from 2 days before the injection of cisplatin to the day of sacrifice. Forty-eight hours after cisplatin injection, samples of cardiac blood and kidneys were harvested from the animals. In this study, the major finding is that curcumin treatment ameliorates the following conditions associated with cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity: (1) the development of kidney injury (histopathology), (2) inflammatory responses [myeloperoxidase (MPO) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10 levels], (3) the degree of lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) level], (4) renal tubular cell apoptosis (active caspase-3) and expression of related proteins [p53, Fas, and Fas ligand (Fas-L)] by immunohistochemistry, (5) renal dysfunction (serum urea and creatinine). In a conclusion, this study suggests that curcumin has antiapoptotic effect against cisplatin nephrotoxicity, in addition to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.