Protective effect of curcumin against contrast induced nephropathy in rat kidney: what is happening to oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy and apoptosis?

BACKGROUND: Currently, the number of imaging and interventional procedures that use contrast agents (CAs) is gradually increasing. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in its pathophysiology. Curcumin (CC) is a natural substance with strong antioxidant efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 24 male Wistar-albino rats were divided into four groups with seven rats in each group. RESULTS: Biochemical measurements showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in urea, creatinine and malondialdehyde (MDA) but a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels in the contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) group compared with the control group. The immunohistochemical examination revealed a significant increase in autophagic and apoptotic cell death ratios and in the inflammatory signal (p < 0.05). Compared with the CIN group, a significant improvement in these unfavorable parameters was observed with CC therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The preventive efficacy of CC against an experimental model of CIN has been demonstrated.