Curcumin prevents renal cell apoptosis in acute kidney injury in a rat model of dry-heat environment heatstroke via inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

Heatstroke is a life-threatening illness that is characterised by a core body temperature >40(°)C and central nervous system dysfunction. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of heatstroke, and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway has been demonstrated to be one of the leading causes of tissue damage and cell death in AKI. Curcumin is a phenol that is extracted from turmeric and demonstrates anti-apoptotic properties. To test if curcumin can protect the kidney from injury caused by heat stress, the effect of curcumin administration on renal injury and apoptosis of renal tissue was examined in a rat model of dry-heat environment. A total of 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=10): Standard temperature control, dry-heat control and curcumin treatment groups (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg groups). After exposure to a dry-heat environment for 150 min, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized. Blood, urine and renal tissue were collected to quantify the expression of specific mitochondrial apoptosis-related molecules. Curcumin pre-treatment decreased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, urinary kidney injury molecule-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels compared with the dry-heat control group. Curcumin was also revealed to downregulate c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), cytochrome c, caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression upon treatment with 100 and 200 mg/kg curcumin, which may result in inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in renal cells. The current study revealed that Curcumin may to have potential for preventing heatstroke-induced AKI.