Curcumin Supplementation in Cats With Chronic Kidney Disease
Source
İlgün M, Aktaş MS. Renoprotective effects of curcumin in cats with chronic kidney disease. J Vet Intern Med. 2026;40(4):aalag138. doi:10.1093/jvimsj/aalag138
Treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats is primarily palliative, focusing on slowing disease progression and alleviating clinical signs.1,2 Oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis are key contributing factors to CKD progression.3 Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound derived from Curcuma longa (ie, turmeric) that has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic properties in rodent models of kidney injury.4-6
This study investigated the effects of curcumin supplementation on serum chemistry values, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), oxidative stress markers, and inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers in cats with International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage 3 CKD.
Client-owned cats with stage 3 CKD were randomly assigned to IRIS-guided medical treatment alone (MT; n = 8) or medical treatment plus curcumin (MT+C; n = 8) at 80 mg/cat per day divided into 2 doses and administered in food for 60 days. No placebo was administered to the MT group. SDMA, urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC), oxidative stress markers, inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers, and additional data were collected before treatment and at days 15, 30, 45, and 60. One cat from each study group died prior to study end; both deaths were attributed to CKD progression.
Study results demonstrated significantly lower SDMA values in the MT+C group on days 30, 45, and 60. UPC also decreased significantly over time in the MT+C group and was significantly lower than the MT group at later time points. Evaluation of oxidative stress markers showed total antioxidant status significantly increased from baseline in both groups; total oxidant status increased at all time points in both groups but was significantly lower in the MT+C group compared with the MT group on day 45. Concentrations of caspase-3, a biomarker of apoptosis, decreased progressively over time in the MT+C group, with significantly lower concentrations compared with the MT group on day 60; measurements of nuclear factor kappa B, a proinflammatory transcription factor, were significantly lower in the MT+C group than in the MT group on days 30 and 60.
The authors concluded that curcumin has potential as a therapeutic adjunct for treatment of feline CKD; however, larger long-term studies are needed.
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