Fig. 7

Treatment with curcumin alleviates inflammatory state and tissue damage in human CF airway organoid. (A-C) Healthy or CF airway organoids (AOs) were incubated with vehicle (DMSO) control or 30 μM curcumin for 1 day. Gene expression levels of NRF2 (A), the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL8 and IL1β (B), and the oxidative stress-related gene DUOX1 and the NRF2-activated genes NQO1 and HMOX1 (D) were determined by RT qPCR (relative gene expression from at least 3 independent experiments performed in triplicates, ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparisons test). (D-E) Cell death analysis in AOs treated with vehicle (DMSO) control or 30 μM curcumin for 4 days. Mean fluorescence intensity quantification of the propidium iodide (PI) incorporation (D) and representative images (scale bars, 300 μm) (E) in healthy and CF-AOs treated or not with curcumin (n = 12–13, from 3 independent experiments, Two-way ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparisons test). (F-G) Quantification of the epithelial thickness (n = 12–13, from 3 independent experiments, ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparisons test) (F) and representative images (scale bars, 300 μm) (G) in healthy and CF-AOs treated or not with 30 µM of curcumin for 4 days.