Erythropoietin ameliorates oxidative stress and tissue injury following renal ischemia/reperfusion in rat kidney and lung

To study the effect of erythropoietin [EPO] treatment on renal and lung injury following renal ischemia/re-perfusion [I/R]. Thirty male Wistar rats were assigned to three groups of 10 rats each. The first group was sham-operated, the second was subjected to renal I/R [30 min of ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion]. The third group was subjected to renal I/R and treated with EPO in two doses: the first dose 1 h prior to ischemia [1,000 U/kg] and the second dose 6 h after ischemia [1,000 U/kg]. The renal and lung tissue injury index, tissue serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine [Cr] were higher in the renal I/R group compared to the renal I/R + EPO group; the difference was statistically significant [p < 0.05]. Kidney and lung tissue glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase levels were higher in the renal I/R + EPO group than the renal I/R group; the difference was also statistically significant [p < 0.05]. The data showed that EPO pretreatment could be effective in reducing renal and lung injury following renal I/R and could improve the cellular antioxidant defense system. Hence EPO pretreatment may be effective for attenuating renal and lung injury after renal I/R-induced injury during surgical procedures, hypotension, renal transplantation and other conditions inducing renal I/R

Prophylactic effect of vitamin C on cyclosporine A-induced liver toxicity

Cyclosporine A [CsA] is an important immunosuppressive agent; however, its clinical use is limited by several side effects such as hepatotoxicity. Vitamin C [ascorbic acid] is a very important and powerful antioxidant and protects membranes against oxidation. The aim of this study was to study protective role of vitamin C against CSA-induced hepatotoxicity. Thirty male Wister strain rats weighting 230-260g were randomly divided into 3 groups [n = 10]: group A was the control group and received placebo [Normal Saline], group B was the CSA-treated group and received 15mg/kg/day CsA for 21 days, group C was the CsA + vitamin C group and was received 200mg/kg/day vitamin C orally 3 hours before receiving 15mg/kg/day CsA. On 22[th] day rats serum obtained for measuring biochemical factors including bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], triglyceride, alkaline phosphatase [ALP] and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], total protein, and albumin. Bilirubin, ALT, AST, triglyceride, ALP, and LDH levels were lower in CsA + ascorbic acid group than that of CsA group [P < 0.05] while plasma total protein and albumin were significantly higher in CsA + ascorbic acid group than that of CsA group [P < 0.05]. In conclusion, we have shown that vitamin C administration provides protection against CSA-induced injury in rat liver function and may have hepatoprotective role in the patients experiencing CSA treatment

Anti-oxidative effect of lipoic acid in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion

Lipoic acid [LA] is an effective anti-oxidant agent that can scavenge free radicals in biological systems. The aim of this research was to study the probable protective effect of LA in spinal ischemic/reperfusion [I/R] injury. Thirty male Wistar rats, weighing 230-285 g, were assigned randomly into 3 groups [10 animals in each group]: sham spinal I/R, and spinal I/R + LA. The spinal I/R + LA rats received LA 100 mg/kg subcutaneously 3 days prior to ischemia induction and 3 days after. The induction of ischemia lasted for 30 min. At 72 h postoperatively, the neurological status was worse in the I/R group than the sham group [p < 0.05]. The neurological status of animals in the LA-treated group appeared better than the I/R group [p < 0.05]. In the I/R group, tissue glutathione peroxidase [GPx] and super oxide dismutase [SOD] activity were significantly less compared to the control group [p < 0.05]. In the LA-treated group, tissue GPx and SOD levels were higher compared to the I/R group [p < 0.05]. LA pretreatment reduced neurologic injury in the rats, most probably by maintaining the oxidant/anti-oxidant ion balance during spinal cord ischemia. Reperfusion may have contributed to the protective effects seen in the LA pretreatment