Tetrahydrocurcumin Ameliorates Kidney Injury and High Systolic Blood Pressure in High-Fat Diet-Induced Type 2 Diabetic Mice

The role of tetrahydrocurcumin in disease prevention and treatment

In recent decades, natural compounds derived from herbal medicine or dietary sources have played important roles in prevention and treatment of various diseases and have attracted more and more attention. Curcumin, extracted from the Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and widely used as food spice and coloring agent, has been proven to possess high pharmacological value. However, the pharmacological application of curcumin is limited due to its poor systemic bioavailability. As a major active metabolite of curcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) has higher bioavailability and stability than curcumin. Increasing evidence confirmed that THC had a wide range of biological activities and significant treatment effects on diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress on the biological activities and therapeutic potential of THC on different diseases such as neurological disorders, metabolic syndromes, cancers, and inflammatory diseases. The extensive pharmacological effects of THC involve the modulation of various signaling transduction pathways including MAPK, JAK/STAT, NF-κB, Nrf2, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, AMPK, Wnt/β-catenin. In addition, the pharmacokinetics, drug combination and toxicology of THC were discussed, thus providing scientific basis for the safe application of THC and the development of its dietary supplements and drugs.

Curcumin ameliorates focal segmental glomerulosclerosis by inhibiting apoptosis and oxidative stress in podocytes

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a podocyte disease, is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Nevertheless, the current effective treatment for FSGS is deficient. Curcumin (CUR) is a principal curcuminoid of turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family. Previous studies have shown that CUR has renoprotective effects. However, the mechanism of CUR in anti-FSGS is not clear. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of CUR against FSGS through a combination of network pharmacological methods and verification of experiments. The analysis identified 98 shared targets of CUR against FSGS, and these 98 targets formed a network of protein-protein interactions (PPI). Of these 98 targets, AKT1, TNF, IL-6, VEGFA, STAT3, MAPK3, HIF1A, CASP3, IL1B, and JUN were identified as the hub targets. Molecular docking suggested that the best binding to CUR is MAPK3 and AKT1. Apoptotic process and cell proliferation were identified as the main biological processes of CUR against FSGS by gene ontology (GO) analysis. The most enriched signaling pathway in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Western blots and flow cytometry showed that CUR could inhibit adriamycin (ADR) induced apoptosis, oxidative stress damage, and attenuate podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by repressing the AKT signaling pathway. Collectively, our study demonstrates that CUR can attenuate apoptosis, oxidative stress damage, and EMT in FSGS in vitro. These results supply a compelling basis for future studies of CUR for the clinical treatment of FSGS.

Translation Animal Models of Diabetic Kidney Disease: Biochemical and Histological Phenotypes, Advantages and Limitations

Animal models play a crucial role in studying the pathogenesis of diseases, developing new drugs, identifying disease risk markers, and improving means of prevention and treatment. However, modeling diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has posed a challenge for scientists. Although numerous models have been successfully developed, none of them can encompass all the key characteristics of human DKD. It is essential to choose the appropriate model according to the research needs, as different models develop different phenotypes and have their limitations. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of biochemical and histological phenotypes, modeling mechanisms, advantages and limitations of DKD animal models, in order to update relevant model information and provide insights and references for generating or selecting the appropriate animal models to fit different experimental needs.

The Development of Dyslipidemia in Chronic Kidney Disease and Associated Cardiovascular Damage, and the Protective Effects of Curcuminoids

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a health problem that is constantly growing. This disease presents a diverse symptomatology that implies complex therapeutic management. One of its characteristic symptoms is dyslipidemia, which becomes a risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases and increases the mortality of CKD patients. Various drugs, particularly those used for dyslipidemia, consumed in the course of CKD lead to side effects that delay the patient's recovery. Therefore, it is necessary to implement new therapies with natural compounds, such as curcuminoids (derived from the Curcuma longa plant), which can cushion the damage caused by the excessive use of medications. This manuscript aims to review the current evidence on the use of curcuminoids on dyslipidemia in CKD and CKD-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD). We first described oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic reprogramming as factors that induce dyslipidemia in CKD and their association with CVD development. We proposed the potential use of curcuminoids in CKD and their utilization in clinics to treat CKD-dyslipidemia.