Nanocurcumin preserves kidney function and haematology parameters in DMBA-induced ovarian cancer treated with cisplatin via its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effect in rats

Context Cisplatin, as a first-line treatment for ovarian cancer, is associated with debilitating adverse effects, including nephrotoxic and haematotoxic effects. Objective This study determines whether nanocurcumin, combined with cisplatin, would give additional benefit to kidney function and haematological parameters in rats with ovarian cancer. Materials and methods Twenty-five Wistar rats were divided into five untreated rats and 20-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced ovarian cancer rats. The 20 ovarian cancer rats were divided into four treatment groups: vehicle, cisplatin, cisplatin-curcumin, and cisplatin-nanocurcumin. Cisplatin was given at the dose of 4 mg/kg BW once weekly, while curcumin or nanocurcumin was administered at 100 mg/kg BW daily for four weeks. At the end of treatment, we analysed kidney function, haematological parameters, and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers from plasma. Results Nanocurcumin alleviates the increase in kidney function markers and abnormalities in haematological indices in rats treated with cisplatin. Compared to cisplatin-treated rats, plasma urea levels decreased from 66.4 to 47.7 mg/dL, creatinine levels lowered from 0.87 to 0.82 mg/dL, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels declined from 8.51 to 3.59 mIU/mg protein. Furthermore, the therapy increased glutathione activities (from 2.02 to 3.23 U/mu L), reduced lipid peroxidation (from 0.54 to 0.45 nmol/mL), and decreased plasma TNF-alpha (from 270.6 to 217.8 pg/mL). Conclusions Cisplatin with nanocurcumin in an ovarian cancer rat model may provide additional benefits as a preventive agent against renal impairment and cisplatin-induced haematological toxicity. However, further research is required to prove that using nanocurcumin for a more extended time would not affect its anticancer properties.

Automated summary

This study found that using nanocurcumin in combination with cisplatin in ovarian cancer rats can provide additional benefits to kidney function and haematological parameters, compared to using cisplatin alone.