Vitamin E Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin E, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, antioxidants.

Ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol protect anticancer drug cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in mice: a comparative study.

Ajith TA, Usha S, Nivitha V

Department of Biochemistry, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amala Nagar, Thrissur, Kerala, 680 555, India. taajith@rediffmail.com

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress, resulting from an imbalance between prooxidant and antioxidant systems in favor of the former, largely contributes to immune system deregulation and complications observed in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and patients treated with hemodialysis. Reactive oxygen species and free radicals are involved in the nephrotoxicity induced by a synthetic anticancer drug cisplatin. METHODS: A comparative study on the nephroprotective effects of antioxidant vitamins (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), was evaluated using cisplatin (10 mg/kg body wt, i.p.) induced oxidative renal damage in mice. Urea and creatinine in serum were estimated for the renal function. Antioxidant status was estimated in kidney homogenate. RESULTS: We found that both vitamins at 500 mg/kg significantly (P<0.01) protected the nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin. The cisplatin induced increase of urea and creatinine concentrations were reduced in the vitamins plus cisplatin (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.)-treated groups. However the cisplatin induced decline of renal antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were increased only in the 500 mg/kg vitamins treated groups. Both vitamins at 250 and 500 mg/kg could increase the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and protected the increase of cisplatin induced lipid peroxidation. CONCLUSIONS: Higher doses of vitamins are effective to protect oxidative renal damage and vitamin C is the better nephroprotective agent than vitamin E. The protection is mediated partially by preventing the decline of renal antioxidant status.

Published 24 October 2006 in Clin Chim Acta, 375(1): 82-6.
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