Figure 2.

Curcumin partially reverses the upregulation of collagen IV and fibronectin expression in db/db mice. (a) Collagen IV and (b) fibronectin protein expression in the renal cortex as determined using immunohistochemical staining. Magnification, ×200 (top) and ×400 (bottom); scale bar, 20 μm. (c) The mRNA levels of collagen IV and fibronectin measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction and expressed as a percentage of the mRNA level in the db/m group. db/m, nondiabetic mice; db/db, diabetic mice (mock-treated); db/db + Cur, db/db mice treated with curcumin at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight. ^#p < 0.05, compared with the db/m mice (control); ^∗p < 0.05, compared with the mock-treated db/db mice (n = 6 per group).