Abstract
BACKGROUND: Unilateral nephrectomy and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) are causes of acute kidney injury that can cause renal dysfunction, decreased glomerular filtration rate, impaired homeostasis, and increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of curcumin (Cur) and metformin (Met), both protective antioxidants, on renal tissue structure and Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (Ngal) and Kidney injury molecule 1 (Kim-1) genes expression levels in rats undergoing unilateral nephrectomy and ischemia/reperfusion. METHODS: In this experimental study, 40 male rats were randomly divided into five groups. The animals underwent unilateral nephrectomy and ischemia/reperfusion and were then treated with curcumin and metformin or both for 14 days. Subsequently, histopathological and morphometric analyses were performed, and Ngal and Kim-1 gene expression levels were evaluated using real-time PCR. RESULTS: Histopathological damage, expression levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), blood biochemical parameters and oxidative stress and expression levels of Ngal and Kim-1 genes were significantly reduced in the patient group that received metformin and curcumin simultaneously. However, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was increased in the patient group that received curcumin + metformin. Morphometric parameters also improved in this group. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the combination therapy with curcumin and metformin effectively protected the kidneys against unilateral nephrectomy and I/R injury.