A Stepwise Targeting Curcumin Derivative, Ser@TPP@CUR, for Acute Kidney Injury

Based on the pathological mechanisms of acute kidney injury (AKI), a stepwise targeting curcumin derivative, Ser@TPP@CUR, was developed in this study. Ser@TPP@CUR can be specifically internalized by renal tubular epithelial cells via KIM-1 receptor-mediated endocytosis and then actively distributed in mitochondria under the effect of TPP, a mitochondrial targeting molecule. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that Ser@TPP@CUR effectively ameliorated injured renal tubular epithelial cells and improved renal functions of AKI mice.