These data indicate that curcumin has nephroprotective properties against cisplatin-induced kidney damage in rats and this effect is associated with its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis profiles, in addition to its antioxidant. Hence, curcumin may be useful for preventing kidney damage against cisplatin administration.

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Background Curcumin is a natural diphenolic compound that is currently being investigated for various cancers, including ovarian cancer. Clinical application of curcumin has been limited due to its low solubility and bioavailability and rapid metabolism and degradation at physiological pH. Particle size is one factor that can affect the absorption process, which thus increases compound solubility and transport across the membrane. This study was conducted to determine the effects of modifying the particle size of curcumin on its pharmacokinetic parameters in blood and other organs. Methods Female Sprague Dawley rats were administered a single oral dose of 500 mg/kg curcumin or nanocurcumin. Blood samples were collected at 10, 15, 30, 45, 75, and 120 min, and ovaries, livers, kidneys, and colons were collected at 180 min. The levels of curcumin in plasma and organs were determined using UPLC-MS/MS, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated. Results Curcumin levels were detectable and measurable in plasma and organs of rats that were administered curcumin or nanocurcumin. Overall, no statistically significant differences were found in pharmacokinetic parameters between curcumin and nanocurcumin groups in both plasma and organs, except for ovaries. The curcumin levels in plasma, liver, kidney, and colon in the curcumin group were higher than those in the nanocurcumin group. However, curcumin concentrations in ovaries in the nanocurcumin group were 3.6 times higher than those in the curcumin group. Conclusion Particle size reduction of curcumin did not increase the concentration of curcumin in the plasma but increased its distribution in the ovaries.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a part of incurable chronic inflammatory disease that has gained importance over the past few decades. A lot of research has been done to find effective treatments for UC, one of which is herbal medicine. Phaleria macrocarpa (PM), an Indonesian native plant, is thought to be an alternative therapy for UC because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, in this research, Phaleria macrocarpa Leaves Ethanol Extract (PMLEE) is used to assess its effect on UC by using Caspase-3 as apoptosis marker. PMLEE was made from dried material of PM that undergo maceration. Animals were separated into six groups: normal, negative control, positive control, and PMLEE groups (100, 200, 300 mg/kgBW). PMLEE was then injected to BALB/c mice that have been induced by dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) for 7 consecutive days. DSS is used to model UC in mice colon tissue. All animals were sacrificed and their colons were collected then stained with anti-Caspase-3. The stained sections were subsequently examined with ImageJ based on color intensity which generated H-Score as the results. Based on H-Score of each group, PMLEE 300mg has significantly upregulate the expression of Caspase-3 compare to the negative control (p=0.015). PMLEE also has a tendency to be dose dependent based on the significant difference between PMLEE doses. Therefore, it concludes that PMLEE is able to upregulate the expression of Caspase-3 in colon cells as in this study it was directly proportional.

ABSTRAK ABSTRACTBackground: Oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of (CKD), Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor involved in cell defense mechanism against oxidative stress. In this study, we examined the effect of quercetin, a polyphenplic antioxidant anti fibrosis compund in fruits and vegetables, on the 5/6 nephrectomy-induced CKD progression model rats through modulation of Nrf2 expression.