Oral administration of powdered dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric, Zingiberaceae) is effective in the treatment of doxorubicin-induced kidney injury in rats.

Curcumin is a polyphenol present in the rhizomes of the species Curcuma longa L. ("turmeric," Zingiberaceae), which has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory. We aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of C. longa in renal injury induced by doxorubicin (DOX, 3.5 mg.kg-1 IV). We studied four groups of Wistar rats: two groups with DOX-induced kidney injury, one fed with standard food and another with standard food mixed with C. longa (5 mg.g-1 ). Two other control groups without kidney injury were fed with the same foods. We measured albuminuria, body weight, and food intake every 2 weeks. After 8 weeks, treatment with C. longa did not change albuminuria, but it significantly attenuated the excretion of urinary inflammatory markers monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and significantly attenuated immunostaining for desmin, vimentin, and ED-1+ cells in renal tissues of rats with DOX-induced kidney injury. In addition, treatment with C. longa resulted in significantly lower glomerular and tubule interstitial injury scores, compared with that in the DOX-STD group. In conclusion, administration of powdered rhizomes of C. longa for 8 weeks to rats with DOX-induced kidney injury did not reduce albuminuria but led to a significant decrease in urinary inflammatory markers MCP-1 and TGF-β and decreased histopathological alterations and immunostaining for desmin, vimentin, and ED-1+ cells kidneys tissues.