Curcumin functions as an anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant agent on arsenic‐induced hepatic and kidney injury by inhibiting MAPKs/NF‐κB and activating Nrf2 pathways

Abstract

Chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with various toxic effects, especially to the organs of liver and kidney. As a plant polyphenol, curcumin is the most vital bioactive ingredient of turmeric and has a wide range of pharmacological activities. In the present study, we investigated the potential roles of curcumin against arsenic‐induced liver and kidney dysfunctions in mice. Curcumin treatment (200 mg/kg) not only decreased the deposition of arsenic in liver and kidney, but also relieved the hepatic and nephritic biochemical indexes (Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [AST], Alanine aminotransferase [ALT], albumin, and creatinine) altered by arsenic at doses of 10 and 25 mg/L via drinking water. What's more, curcumin exerted influences on the activities of myeloperoxidase and on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in liver and kidney tissues. In addition, the levels of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) phosphorylation were declining while NRF2‐signaling targets were increasing in mice liver and kidney by curcumin administration. In conclusion, our results here suggest that curcumin could exert both anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant functions on arsenic‐induced hepatic and kidney injury by inhibiting MAPKs/NF‐κB and activating Nrf2 pathways cooperatively.

Alleviation of Oral Exposure to Aflatoxin B1-Induced Renal Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress, and Cell Apoptosis in Mice Kidney by Curcumin

“…In addition, as a natural plant antioxidant, curcumin potently activated Nrf2 to prevent hepatorenal injury induced by arsenic overdose and dimethylnitrosamine toxicity [ 18 , 59 ]. Similar to our results, we found that the administration of AFB1 and curcumin promoted the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream genes that were inhibited by AFB1 in the kidney.…”

“…Curcumin is a phenolic pigment extracted from the rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric) [ 14 ], which has been proven to exhibit multiple biological activities encompassing antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing properties in various experiments [ 15 , 16 ]. There is evidence that curcumin offers protective potential against tissue injury caused by certain drugs and environmental toxins: curcumin could prevent carbon tetrachloride (CCL4)-induced acute liver damage via inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammation [ 17 ]; curcumin can alleviate arsenic-induced hepatorenal toxicity by activating Nrf2 and inhibiting the MAPK–NF-κB pathway [ 18 ]; curcumin has also been found to exert cytoprotective and antioxidant effects against OTA-induced toxicity in rats [ 19 ]. These studies present evidence in support of the use of curcumin as a protective antioxidant.…”

Curcumin primed ADMSCs derived small extracellular vesicle exert enhanced protective effects on osteoarthritis by inhibiting oxidative stress and chondrocyte apoptosis

“…As we known, curcumin is classical anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory agent which was widely used in the treatment of many inflammatory and degenerative diseases [ 43 , 44 ]. Previous studies showed that curcumin exerts chondro-protective effects by regulating oxidative stress [ 45 ], endoplasmic reticulum stress [ 30 ], inflammation [ 46 ], autophagy [ 47 ] in different OA models.…”

Pharmacological Effects of Polyphenol Phytochemicals on the Intestinal Inflammation via Targeting TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

“…More importantly, 6 weeks supplementation with 500 mg resveratrol can alleviate UC in patients associated with reduction in plasma levels of TNF-α and activity of NF-κB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) [176]. Curcumin, a natural active component extracted from the root of turmeric, a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, is widely known to possess antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects [88]. Previously, numerous studies in both animals and cell lines have demonstrated the inhibitory activity of curcumin on TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling [89,90,177,178].…”