Doxorubicin induced Nephrotoxicity : protective effect of Rosmary leaves

Abstract EN

Background: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anthracycline antibiotic.

It is a widely used drug in the cancer to treat a wide variety of human malignancies.

Cardiotoxicity has long been recognized as a complicating factor of DOX.

This study was designed to investigate the acute DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity.

Material and Methods: Twenty eight male Swiss Albino mice were randomly divided into four groups including group1 (negative control), treated with distill water (D.W) intraperitoneal (i.p) injection , group 2 (positive control), treated with 15 mg/kg DOX as a single (i.p) injection, groups 3 received 30mg/kg of the aqueous extract of Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (ROE) orally (p.o), once daily for 2 weeks, then injected i.p with 15 mg/kg DOX.

Two days after DOX or D.W (in control group) injection, animals in all groups were scarified and the levels of the blood urea and serum creatinin were measured.

Also the possible cardiac histopathological changes were investigated.

Results: The administration of DOX (15 mg/kg i.p.) induced nephrotoxicity which manifested by significant elevation (p<0.05) in blood urea and serum creatinin levels.

In addition, kidneys histopathological sections showed development of sever glomerulosclerosis, tubular necrosis and tubulointerstitial lesion.

Oral administration of 30mg/kg ROE 2 weeks prior to DOX produced a significant protection which was evidenced by significant reduction (p<0.05) in blood urea and serum creatinin levels.

Moreover, histopathological sections showed only mild tubular necrosis and in comparison to DOX positive control group (p<0.01).