Evaluation of the renoprotective effect of nano turmeric against toxic dose of copper sulfate: Role of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, kidney injury molecule-1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein expressions

Rescue effect of curcumin against copper toxicity

Turmeric has long been used not only as an indispensable part of Asian cuisine but as a medicinal herb for dressing wounds, bites, burns, treating eye infections and acne. Curcuminoids are the active substances and their synthetic derivatives (i.e. diacetylcurcumin (DAC) and metal-curcumin complexes) possess an incredibly wide range of medicinal properties that encompass chelation capacity for multiple heavy metals, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, cytotoxicity against cancerous cells, antiviral and antibacterial effects, antihypertensive and insulin sensitizing role, and regulatory role on apoptosis. The aforementioned properties have put curcumin on spotlight as a potential treatment for ailments such as, hepatic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, auto-immune diseases, malignancies and conditions associated with metal overload. Copper is essential for major biological functions, however, an excess causes chronic ailments including neurodegenerative disorders. The fascinating approach of curcumin could alleviate such effect by forming a complex. Thus, this review aims to present available data on the effect of copper-curcumin interaction in various in vitro, ex-vivo in vivo, and clinical studies.

Sensitive detection and intracellular imaging of free copper ions based on DNA-templated silver nanoclusters aggregation-inducing fluorescence enhancement effect

Free copper ions (Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺) have critical toxicity to cells, although copper is an essential element for human body. Hence, sensitive monitoring is crucial to avoid over intake of Cu⁺/Cu²⁺. We herein designed a ssDNA sequence (A₃₁) for synthetizing A₃₁-templated silver nanoclusters (AgNCs), and demonstrated that Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ can induce the aggregation of A₃₁-templated AgNCs and thus greatly enhanced the fluorescence emission of A₃₁-templated AgNCs. Based on Cu⁺/Cu²⁺-induced fluorescence enhancement effect of A₃₁-templated AgNCs, a label-free and signal-on fluorescent sensing platform was developed for the specific and sensitive detection of Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ in biological samples and intracellular imaging of Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ in cells. The signal-on fluorescent sensing platform could be used to rapidly detect Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ with a detection limit of 0.1 µM within 30 min., and to perform the intracellular imaging of Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ in cells with good cell permeability and biocompatibility. By using the signal-on fluorescent sensing platform, we have successfully detected Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ in cells fluids and human serum with a recovery of 90-104% and a RSD (n = 5) < 5%, and performed the imaging of Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ in Hela cells. The developed fluorescent sensing platform has obvious analytical and imaging advantages such as signal-on, simple operation, short analysis time, both Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ detection, similar or higher sensitivity, good cell permeability and biocompatibility, which promising a reliable approach for the rapid and on-site detection or imaging of free copper ions in biological samples in clinical diagnosis.

A review: Systematic research approach on toxicity model of liver and kidney in laboratory animals

Therapeutic experiments are commonly performed on laboratory animals to investigate the possible mechanism(s) of action of toxic agents as well as drugs or substances under consideration. The use of toxins in laboratory animal models, including rats, is intended to cause toxicity. This study aimed to investigate different models of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in laboratory animals to help researchers advance their research goals. The current narrative review used databases such as Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase and appropriate keywords until June 2021. Nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity models derived from some toxic agents such as cisplatin, acetaminophen, doxorubicin, some anticancer drugs, and other materials through various signaling pathways are investigated. To understand the models of renal or hepatotoxicity in laboratory animals, we have provided a list of toxic agents and their toxicity procedures in this review.

Curcumin nanoformulations to combat aging-related diseases

Aging increases the susceptibility to a diverse set of diseases and disorders, including neurodegeneration, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. Natural compounds are currently being explored as alternative or complementary agents to treat or prevent aging-related malfunctions. Curcumin, a phytochemical isolated from the spice turmeric, has garnered great interest in recent years. With anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and other physiological activities, curcumin has great potential for health applications. However, the benefits of curcumin are restricted by its low bioavailability and stability in biological systems. Curcumin nanoformulations, or nano-curcumin, may overcome these limitations. This review discusses different forms of nano-curcumin that have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo to treat or prevent aging-associated health impairments. We describe current barriers for the routine use of curcumin nanoformulations in the clinic. Our review highlights outstanding questions and future work that is needed to ensure nano-curcumin is efficient and safe to lessen the burden of aging-related health problems.

Metabolomics and transcriptomics indicated the molecular targets of copper to the pig kidney

Copper poses huge environmental and public health concerns due to its widespread and persistent use in the past several decades. Although it is well established that at higher levels copper causes nephrotoxicity, the exact mechanisms of its toxicity is not fully understood. Therefore, this experimental study for the first time investigates the potential molecular mechanisms including transcriptomics, metabolomics, serum biochemical, histopathological, cell apoptosis and autophagy in copper-induced renal toxicity in pigs. A total of 14 piglets were randomly assigned to two group (7 piglets per group) and treated with a standard diet (11 mg CuSO4 per kg of feed) and a high copper diet (250 mg CuSO4 per kg of feed). The results of serum biochemical tests and renal histopathology suggested that 250 mg/kg CuSO4 in the diet significantly increased serum creatinine (CREA) and induced renal tubular epithelial cell swelling. Results on transcriptomics and metabolomics showed alteration in 804 genes and 53 metabolites in kidneys of treated pigs, respectively. Combined analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics indicated that different genes and metabolism pathways in kidneys of treated pigs were involved in glycerophospholipids metabolism and glycosphingolipid metabolism. Furthermore, copper induced mitochondrial apoptosis characterized by increased bax, bak, caspase 3, caspase 8 and caspase 9 expressions while decreased bcl-xl and bcl2/bax expression. Exposure to copper decreased the autophagic flux in terms of increased number of autophagosomes, beclin1 and LC3b/LC3a expression and p62 accumulation. These results indicated that the imbalance of glycosphingolipid metabolism, the impairment of autophagy and increase mitochondrial apoptosis play an important role in copper induced renal damage and are useful mechanisms to understand the mechanisms of copper nephrotoxicity.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Protective Role of Quercetin on Copper Sulfate-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice

Copper overload is an established cause of nephrotoxicity, but the precise molecular mechanism remains unknown. Our study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of copper sulfate (CuSO₄)-induced nephrotoxicity and the protective effect of the natural compound quercetin using a mouse model. Mice were orally administered CuSO₄ only (200 mg/kg per day), or co-administered CuSO₄ (200 mg/kg per day) plus quercetin (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg per day), or quercetin only (100 mg/kg per day), or vehicle for 28 days. The blood and kidneys were collected for the examination of serum biomarkers, oxidative stress biomarkers, changes in histopathology and gene and protein expression. Our results show that quercetin supplementation attenuates CuSO₄-induced renal dysfunction and tubular necrosis in a dose-dependent manner. Quercetin supplementation at 50 and 100 mg/kg significantly attenuated CuSO₄-induced oxidative damage. Quercetin supplementation also inhibited the activities of caspases-9 and-3, and the expression of p53 and Bax mRNAs. Furthermore, quercetin supplementation markedly activated the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNAs, but inhibited the expression of NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNAs. In conclusion, our results revealed that quercetin supplementation could inhibit CuSO₄-induced nephrotoxicity in mice via the inhibition of mitochondrial apoptotic and NF-κB pathways and the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Our study highlights quercetin as a potential candidate in treating copper overload-induced nephrotoxicity.

A dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran-based fluorescence probe with high selectivity and sensitivity for detecting copper (II) and its bioimaging in living cells and tissue

Copper (Cu) plays a significant role in the process of oxygenic photosynthesis in living systems. The detection of copper ion (Cu²⁺) is valuable and meaningful for further investigating the functions of Cu²⁺ under physiological and pathological conditions. In this paper, a novel fluorescence probe DCM-Cu based on the near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran (DCM) was designed for Cu²⁺ detection. The probe DCM-Cu possessed characteristic of "turn-on" fluorescent signal in the presence of Cu²⁺ through the enhanced ICT process. It exhibited satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity toward Cu²⁺. A good linear correlation was observed between the concentrations of Cu²⁺ and the fluorescence intensities at 700 nm. The detection limit (LOD) of DCM-Cu toward Cu²⁺ was calculated to be 2.54 × 10^-8 M. Importantly, DCM-Cu was successfully applied in the detection of Cu²⁺ in living MCF-7 cells and tumor tissue with low cytotoxicity. Therefore, this probe would have the potential to monitor cellular Cu²⁺ in the living system and be applied to the diagnosis of related diseases.

Analysis of toxicity and anticancer activity of micelles of sodium alginate-curcumin

Background

Curcumin is a natural polyphenol with anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive and anticancer activity. However, its high hydrophobicity and poor bioavailability limit its medical application. The development of nanocarriers for curcumin delivery is an attractive approach to overcome its low bioavailability and fast metabolism in the liver. We synthesized a blood compatible alginate-curcumin conjugate, AA-Cur, which formed colloidally stable micelles of approximately 200 nm and, as previously shown, exerted strong cytotoxicity against mouse cancer cell lines. Here we analyze in vivo toxicity and antitumor activity of AA-Cur in two different mouse tumor models.

Method

Potential toxicity of intravenously injected AA-Cur was evaluated by: i) analyses of blood parameters (morphology and biochemistry), ii) histology, iii) DNA integrity (comet assay), and iv) cytokine profiling (flow cytometry). Antitumor activity of AA-Cur was evaluated by measuring the growth of subcutaneously inoculated colon MC38-CEA- or orthotopically injected breast 4T1 tumor cells in control mice vs mice treated with AA-Cur.

Results

Injections of four doses of AA-Cur did not reveal any toxicity of the conjugate, thus indicating the safety of its use. AA-Cur elicited moderate anti-tumor activity toward colon MC38-CEA or breast 4T1 carcinomas.

Conclusion

The tested conjugate of alginate and curcumin, AA-Cur, is non-toxic and safe, but exhibits limited anticancer activity.