Protective effects of thymol against nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin with using 99mTc-DMSA in mice

Abstract

Background: In this study, we investigated the protective effect of thymol as a natural compound against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by quantitative renal ^99mTc-DMSA uptake and compared its effect with histopathology in mice. Materials and methods: Mice were divided into six groups as control, cisplatin (7.5?mg/kg, intraperitoneally), thymol?+?cisplatin (thymol; 50 and 150?mg/kg?+?cisplatin; 7.5?mg/kg) and thymol (50 and 150?mg/kg). Thymol was orally administrated for two days before cisplatin injection and continued for 4 days. ^99mTc-DMSA was injected through the tail of mice after the drug administration. The percentage of the injected dose per gram of kidney tissue (%ID/g) was calculated. In other experiment, kidneys of treated mice were assessed for histopathology. Results: ^99mTc-DMSA uptake per gram tissue of the kidneys as %ID/g was 85.27?±?21.81, 45.55?±?5.50, 65.02?±?32.21 and 88.46?±?20.46 in the control, cisplatin, thymol (50?mg/kg)?+?cisplatin and thymol (150?mg/kg)?+?cisplatin. Thymol administration with cisplatin resulted in a significant increase in the level of %ID/g. Histopathological examinations showed a protective effect of thymol against cisplatin nephrotoxicity in mice. Conclusion: The results showed that thymol significantly attenuates the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice, and ^99mTc-DMSA uptake in kidney is a suitable method for assessment of nephrotoxicity in mice.