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

Figures & data

Figure 1. Photomicrographs illustrate morphological (H&E, ×200) (A–C) and apoptotic (active caspase-3, ×400) (D–F) changes in rat kidney. Control group (A, D), cisplatin group (B, E), cisplatin + curcumin group (C, F). Caspase-3 immunopositive cells (arrows).

Table 1. Effect of curcumin on renal histopathology, tubular cell apoptosis, and related proteins in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (mean ± SD, n = 6).

	Control	Cisplatin	Cisplatin + curcumin	p
Histological score	0.33 ± 0.25^a	3.83 ± 0.40	2.00 ± 0.89^a	<.001
Active caspase-3 positive cell number	2.66 ± 0.81^a	59.66 ± 3.72	40.16 ± 2.13^a	<.001
p53 positive cell number	0	85.00 ± 13.41	42.50 ± 9.35^a	<.001
Fas (H-SCORE)	8.00 ± 2.73^a	100.00 ± 14.14	28.00 ± 10.95^a	.002
Fas-L (H-SCORE)	54.00 ± 8.94^a	160.00 ± 30.82	76.00 ± 13.41^a	.002

^ap < .01 vs. cisplatin group.

Figure 2. Immunohistochemical staining for phospho-p53 (×200) (A–C), Fas (D–F) (×400), and Fas-L (G–I) (×400). Control group (A, D, G), cisplatin group (B, E, H), cisplatin + curcumin group (C, F, I). Immunopositive cells (arrows).

Table 2. Effect of curcumin on renal function, MPO activitiy, MDA, and cytokines levels in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (mean ± SD, n = 6).

	Control	Cisplatin	Cisplatin + curcumin	p
Serum urea (mg/dL)	44.93 ± 3.83^a	120.91 ± 20.57	69.91 ± 20.49^b	.002
Serum creatinine (mg/dL)	0.31 ± 0.04^a	0.75 ± 0.10	0.48 ± 0.14^a	.002
MDA (nmol/mg tissue)	47.92 ± 5.3^a	66.78 ± 9.2	52.91 ± 6.3^a	.001
MPO (pg/mg tissue)	83.26 ± 15.36^a	160.76 ± 62.60	89.31 ± 12.70^a	.003
TNF-α (pg/mg tissue)	185.25 ± 53.18	236.58 ± 40.88	195.51 ± 39.80	.146
IL-1β (pg/mg tissue)	18.03 ± 4.41	22.90 ± 8.42	17.61 ± 3.73	.498
IL-6 (pg/mg tissue)	4.58 ± 2.77^a	9.08 ± 0.54	7.73 ± 0.63^b	.001
IL-10 (pg/mg tissue)	8.91 ± 2.17^b	6.66 ± 0.85	8.78 ± 0.96^b	.017

^a p < .01 vs. cisplatin group.

^b p < .05 vs. cisplatin group.