Institution: | aSchool of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada H9X 3V9 bCentre de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé de l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada H4J 1C5 cCentre de Recherche en Infectiologie, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada G1V 4G2 dFaculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada G1V 4G2 |
Abstract: | Aminoglycosides (AG) such as gentamicin are antimicrobial drugs widely used in the hospital setting due to their efficacy in the treatment of severe gram-negative bacterial infections. However, all AG have the potential to cause nephrotoxicity. Two studies have been conducted (1) to assess the protein level of a diet that would give the best renal outcome with gentamicin administration, and (2) to get a better idea about the rhythms of food ingestion associated with the different protein levels. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats fully adapted to a standard chow diet, the standard chow with 20% or 55% added casein were chronically treated for 10 days with a nephrotoxic dose of gentamicin sulfate (40 mg/kg/day, i.p.) or a saline solution. Food ingestion patterns of rats were recorded every hour using a Diet Scan system and gentamicin nephrotoxicity indices were measured. The second study used rats that were fed the same diets and given a sham injection. Corticosterone was assayed to quantify the stress of the animals. Results showed that chronic gentamicin treatment leads to a decrease in food intake and flattening of the rhythms of food ingestion. Also, chow feeding and the 20% casein diet were found to be more protective against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity than the 55% casein diet. Therefore, while a protein-rich diet can be protective against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity, the present study demonstrates that a diet too high in protein might rather be harmful to the kidneys. |