Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Curcumin attenuates high glucose-induced apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells by enhancing the Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 antioxidant pathway
Yu Li, Sai Xie, Yang Huang, Pei-Ling Bao, Department of Nephrology, Xiaogan Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Xiaogan 432000, Hubei Province, China
Lu-Lu Wang, Xiang-Zhi Yu, Department of Nephrology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology School of Medicine, Wuhan 430000, Hubei Province, China
Peng-Fei Li, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Xiaogan Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Xiaogan 432000, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Li Y, Wang LL, and Yu XZ contributed to data curation, investigation, validation, and writing of the original draft; Xie S contributed to formal analysis; Li PF and Huang Y contributed to data curation, methodology, and visualization; Bao PL contributed to conceptualization, project administration, resources, supervision, and manuscript review & editing; and all of the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, No. 2024AFB827.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Xiaogan Central Hospital (Ethical approval code: KY-20240710). All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Pei-Ling Bao, FACC, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Nephrology, Xiaogan Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, No. 6 Square Street, Xiaogan 432000, Hubei Province, China. bpltg2023@126.com
Received: February 12, 2026
Revised: March 20, 2026
Accepted: April 7, 2026
Published online: September 25, 2026
Processing time: 182 Days and 21.7 Hours
Revised: March 20, 2026
Accepted: April 7, 2026
Published online: September 25, 2026
Processing time: 182 Days and 21.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease. Oxidative stress-mediated renal tubular damage plays a significant role in the occurrence and progression of DN. Curcumin, a traditional Chinese medicinal component with antioxidant properties, may have therapeutic effects in the treatment of DN. Through in vivo and in vitro experiments, this study demonstrated that curcumin can inhibit renal tubular cell apoptosis in a high-sugar environment by enhancing the Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling pathway, thereby providing renal protection.