ABSTRACT
Objectives : The present experimental study was designed to evaluate the impact of prophylactic curcumin
(CUR) on chronic adriamycin (ADR)eAposure-induced structural renal alterations.
Materials & Methods : The study comprised 30 normal healthy growing male albino rats divided into 3
groups: Control group given distilled water, ADR group injected once intraperitoneally by ADR in a dose of 50
mg/kg, 5 rats were sacrificed every 2 weeks after injection (ADR-2, ADR-4 & ADR-6) and CUR group
included 15 rats received 200 Ing/kg body weight of curcumin in 1% gum acacia, orally for 7 days before
intrapentoneal injection of ADR in dose of 50 mg/kg and daily thereafter throughout the study and 5 rats were
sacrificed even./ 2 weeks after injection (CUR-2, CUR4 & CUR-6) Kidney tissue was obtained for histological
studies using hernatoxylin and eosin & E) and Masson's trichrome stains. Immunohistochemical and
morphometric study to determine golmerular area cortical and medullary connective tissue percentage and the
count of PCNA +ve endothelial, rnesangial and interstitial nuclei.
Results: There was time-course progression of harmful effect of ADR on renal structure manifested as minimal
congested renal glomeruli and interstitial congestion in ADR-2 specimens progressed in ADR4 specimens to
congested glonieruli with narrowing extending to partial obliteration of Bowman's space but in ADR-6 group,
there were multiple shrunken and congested renal glomeruli with vacuolation of cytoplasm of the lining cells of
the proximal tubules and intense mononuclear cellular infiltration. Minimal glomerular and interstitial
congestion with preserved Bowman's space and no obvious cellular infiltration was reported in CUR-2 and
CUR-4 groups, and CUR-6 rats showed picture comparable to control animals apart from mild con4estion and
occasional shrunken glorneruli with preserved Bowman's space and minimal cellular infiltration. In Masson 's
Tnehrome stained sections, ADR-4 specimens showed focal dense fibrous bands that become dense in ADR-6
group, while few thin bands between the proximal tubules were detected in CUR-6 specimen. Multiple PCNA
+ve rounded nuclei of mesangial cells were detected among the +ve flattened endothelial nuclei in glomeruli
recruiting obliterated Bowman's space in ADR4 group and in the shrunken glomeruli of ADR-6 specimens,
while were occasional in CUR-6 group. Areas of PCNA +ve nuclei were detected between the proximal tubules
were detected in ADR-4 groups and detected in wider areas in ADR-6 group, while group CUR-6 showed
smaller areas of +ve flattened nuclei than in ADR-6. Mean glonierular area was significantly larger and smaller
in groups ADR-4 and ADR-6 compared to groups CUR-4 and CUR-6, respectively. Both cortical and
medullary connective tissue percentage were signcantly higher in ADR-4 and ADR-6 groups compared to
control group and compared to CUR-4 group both cortical and medullary connective tissue areas were
significantly higher in ADR-4 group. Compared to control, mean PCNA positive nuclei of endothelial cells was
significantly lower in ADR-6 animals, but mean PCNA positive nuclei of mesangial cells was significantly
higher in ADR-4 and ADR-6. Mean positive PCNA count in nuclei of interstitial cells of ADR-6 animals was
significantly higher compared to ADR-4 and CUR-6 animals, no positive PCNA nuclei were detected in
interstitial cells in other groups |
