A new update for radiocontrast-induced nephropathy aggravated with glycerol in rats: the protective potential of epigallocatechin-3-gallate

Contrast media (CM) is known to have nephrotoxic adverse effects. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and active catechin in green tea, and has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigated whether EGCG can reduce contrast-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN), alone or with glycerol (GLY)-induced renal damage, and to understand its mechanisms of protection against toxicity, using models of GLY and CIN in rats. The rats were separated into eight groups (n?=?6 in each), as follows: Healthy, GLY, CM, GLY?+?CM, CM?+?EGCG 50?mg/kg (po), GLY?+?CM?+?EGCG 50?mg/kg (po), CM?+?EGCG 100?mg/kg (po), and GLY?+?CM?+?EGCG 100?mg/kg (po). Both doses of EGCG protected against CM-induced renal dysfunction, as measured by serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). In addition, EGCG treatment markedly improved CIN-induced oxidative stress, and resulted in a significant down-regulatory effect on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and nuclear factor (NF)-κB mRNA expression. Moreover, histopathological analysis showed that EGCG also attenuated CM-induced kidney damage. Considering the potential clinical use of CM and the numerous health benefits of EGCG, this study showed the protective role of multi-dose EGCG treatment on CIN and GLY-aggravated CIN through different mechanisms.