Curcumin alleviates acute kidney injury in a dry-heat environment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in a rat model.

Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We investigated the protective effects of curcumin in a renal injury rat model under dry-heat conditions. We divided Sprague-Dawley rats into four groups: dry-heat 0- (normal temperature control group), 50-, 100-, and 150-minute groups. Each group was divided into five subgroups (n = 10): normal saline (NS), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa), and curcumin pretreated low, medium, and high-dose (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Compared to the normal temperature group, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary kidney injury molecule-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated load changes in lipoprotein (NGAL) levels were significantly increased in the dry-heat environment group (P < .05); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and malondialdehyde (MDA) and related inflammatory factor levels were increased in the kidney tissue. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were decreased. However, following all curcumin pretreatment, the serum levels of kidney injury indicators and NGAL were decreased in the urine compared to those in the NS and CMCNa groups (P < .05), whereas renal SOD and CAT activities were increased and MDA was decreased (P < .05). Renal tissues of the 150-minute group showed obvious pathological changes. Compared to the NS group, pathological changes in the renal tissues of the 100- and 200-mg/kg curcumin groups were significantly reduced. Furthermore, iNOS and COX-2 expression and inflammatory factor levels were decreased after curcumin treatment. Curcumin exerted renoprotective effects that were likely mediated by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in a dry-heat environment rat model.