Effect of curcumin on rats/mice with diabetic nephropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the renal protective effects of curcumin administration on diabetic rats/mice. METHODS: Databases were searched electronically and conference papers searched manually for search terms to find relevant studies. Articles were assessed independently by two reviewers. Review Manager 5.1 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Fourteen randomized controlled experiments were included. Meta-analysis demonstrated that blood sugar levels and kidney weight to body weight ratios in the model group were higher than those in the normal group, and the curcumin group had significantly lower mesangial area to glomerular area ratios compared with the model group, and also lower levels of urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. CONCLUSION: Curcumin shows protective effects on the kidneys of rats/mice with diabetes.