Curcumin modulated gut microbiota and alleviated renal fibrosis in 5/6 nephrectomy-induced chronic kidney disease rats.

Increasing evidence suggests that dysbiosis of gut microbiota exacerbates chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Curcumin (CUR) has been reported to alleviate renal fibrosis in animal models of CKD. However, the relationship between CUR and gut microbiome in CKD remains unclear.

Downregulation of RAB7 and Caveolin-1 increases MMP-2 activity in renal tubular epithelial cells under hypoxic conditions.

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis leads to tubular basement membrane thickening and accumulation of interstitial extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metallopeptidase-2 (MMP-2) is involved in the breakdown of ECM. Chronic hypoxia often occurs in the kidney tissues of patients with chronic kidney disease.