Fig. 3

Photomicrographs of paraffin sections stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HX&E) illustrated the protective effect of curcumin (Cur) on diclofenac sodium (DS) induced renal damage in rat. A The kidney of control (Ctrl) group showed normal-sized glomerulus (G), Bowman’s space (BS) and renal tubules (RT). B The kidney of DS group showed small-sized glomerulus (G) and wide Bowman’s space (BS) and renal tubules with mildly edematous epithelial lining (arrow), intra-tubular cellular debris (arrowhead) and intra-tubular hyaline casts (H). C The kidney of diclofenac sodium + curcumin (DS + Cur) group showed restoration of the normal size of the glomerulus (G), Bowman’s space (BS) and normal renal tubules (RT). Original magnification X400, scale bar = 50 μm. D Histogram showed that the size of Bowman’s space significantly increased in DS group compared to the control group, and oral supplementation of Cur restored the normal size of the Bowman’s space. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM (6 mice/group). Data are analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan posttest. ^aindicates significant difference between control and DS groups at p < 0.05; ^bindicates significant difference between DS and DS + Cur groups at p < 0.05