Renoprotective effect of curcumin on acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

This study investigated the nephroprotective effect of curcumin against acetaminophen (APAP)induced nephrotoxicity in rats. APAP-induced nephrotoxicity was evident by a significant increase (P<0.01) of urea and creatinine in serum. Furthermore, a significant increase (P<0.01) of lipid peroxidation as malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), protein carbonyl (PC) contents, interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and tumor necrosis alpha (TNFα)accompanied by a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and glutathione (GSH) content were observed in the kidney tissues. In addition, the cytochromeP2E1 (CYP2E1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)gene expression ratios showed a significant elevation (P<0.01) in the kidney tissues. Oral administration of curcumin (100 mg/kg,b.wt.) ameliorated these adverse effects and showed nephroprotective activity against APAP toxicity. The nephroprotective activity of curcumin could be attributed to the regulation of the renal antioxidant balance, the down-regulation of CYP2E1 and iNOSgene expressions and the improvement of IL-1β and TNF-α levels. In conclusion, oral administration of curcumin showed protective effect against APAP-induces nephrotoxicity in rats.