Background: Ursolic acid (UA) is a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid that is known for its benefits under several pathological conditions. Cisplatin (CP) is among the most preferred chemotherapeutic agents; however, its nephrotoxicity limits its clinical utility.
Purpose: This study was aimed to determine the role of UA in the reduction of CP-induced nephrotoxicity and mitigation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis in a rat model.
Methodology: Male Wistar rats were randomized into vehicle control, CP (7.5 mg/kg), UA 10 mg/kg, and CP with UA 5 and 10 mg/kg groups. Kidney and blood samples were collected for assessment of renal function, measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis markers, antioxidant activity, and tissue histology.
Results: CP significantly increased the levels of serum Cr, BUN, and uric acid; it also induced histological damage reflecting the pathophysiology observed during nephrotoxicity. CP has also shown its pro-oxidant activity in kidney tissue because CP decreased the levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT; it increased the lipid peroxidation as measured by MDA content. In addition, CP significantly upregulated the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines and expression of apoptotic markers, that is, there were increased levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, caspase-3, and caspase-9. Two weeks of continuous treatment of UA showed significant recovery against CP-induced nephrotoxicity; UA decreased the levels of Cr, BUN, and uric acid and ameliorated histological damage. UA also downregulated the activities of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α as well as expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Furthermore, CP-induced oxidative stress that was antagonized by UA-the levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT were significantly increased while MDA content was decreased.
Conclusions: UA has a protective effect against CP-induced nephrotoxicity, which may be due to its antioxidant activity and mitigation of ILβ-1, ILβ-6, TNF-α, and markers of apoptosis.
Keywords: apoptosis; cisplatin; cytokines; nephrotoxicity; oxidative stress; ursolic acid.