AMELIORATIVE EFFECTS OF CURCUMIN ON BETAMETHAZONE –INDUCED MATERNAL AND FETAL NEPHROTOXICITY IN RATS

Gamal M. Badawy*, Saber A. Sakr and Hend T. El-Borm

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the possible adverse effects of the corticosteroid drug betamethazone on the kidney of both mother rats and their fetuses during gestation. Another aim was to ameliorate these possible adverse effects using one of the natural antioxidant namely, curcumin. Four integrated approaches namely, histological, histo-morphometric, ultrastructural and molecular were adopted. Histological examination of the kidney of the drug administered mothers showed atrophic glomeruli with widened capsular spaces of the renal corpuscles. Many proximal and distal convoluted tubules had dilated lumen with debris of hyaline casts and the lining epithelium had vacuolated cytoplasm. The renal cortex of maternally treated fetuses showed severe degeneration of glomeruli along with disrupted proximal and distal convoluted tubules. The epithelial cells lining the convoluted tubules showed cytoplasmic vacuolation and hemorrhage. Electron microscopic examination of the kidney of the mothers and their fetuses injected with betamethazone revealed conspicuous alterations, represented by thickening of the capillary basement membrane. Most of the foot process of podocytes appeared irregular with complete disappearance of their membranes. The lining cells of the convoluted tubules had degenerative changes and displayed partial destruction of the microvilli of the apical brush borders. Administration of betamethazone induced variations in the expressed protein and DNA fragmentation in the kidney tissue of both mothers and their fetuses. Administration of curcumin after betamethazone caused improvement in many adverse changes in the kidney of both mothers and their fetuses.

Keywords: Betamethazone, Kidney, Histological, Ultrastructural, Molecular, Fetuses, Curcumin.