Reduction of kidney damage by supplementation of vitamins C and E in rats with deoxycorticosterone-salt-induced hypertension.
BACKGROUND
We assessed whether co-supplementation of vitamins C and E has additive beneficial effects on reducing the kidney damage and attenuation of the arterial pressure elevation compared to administration of either vitamin C or vitamin E alone in deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced hypertension.


METHODS
Forty rats were divided into 4 study groups and 1 sham-operated group. Unilateral nephrectomy was carried out in the study groups and hypertension was induced by deoxycorticosterone injection and 1% sodium chloride and 0.2% potassium chloride added to the drinking water. Vitamins C and E (200 mg/kg/day) or combination of them were administered with DOCA-salt for 4 weeks in 3 study groups. The effects of DOCA and salt and treatment with vitamins were compared in terms of blood pressure, urinary protein excretion, antioxidant activity of the kidneys, and renal histological changes.


RESULTS
Four weeks of supplementations of vitamins C, vitamin E, and both in the DOCA-salt-treated rats had comparable significant effects in decreasing systolic blood pressure. Urinary protein excretion and histological damage did not significantly change with the combination therapy of vitamins C and E compared to the vitamin C or E alone. The renal levels of glutathione and ferric reducing/antioxidant power in combination therapy group were similar to the two other treatment groups and were significantly higher than non-treated group.


CONCLUSIONS
Co-administration of vitamin C and E does not have an additive beneficial effect on reducing the kidney damage and hypertension compared to either vitamin C or E alone in DOCA-salt-induced hypertension.
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Behjat
B
Seifi
Mehri
M
Kadkhodaee
Seyed Morteza
SM
Karimian
Maryam
M
Zahmatkesh
Sedighe
S
Shams
Enayatolla
E
Bakhshi
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002122:Calcium Chloride; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D002122:Calcium Chloride; D001205:Ascorbic Acid