title: Effect of crocus sativus on gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity.
abstract: Crocus sativus, known as saffron, is used in folk medicine for treatment of different types of diseases, and its anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activities have been demonstrated. The present study evaluated gentamicin nephrotoxicity in saffron treated rats. Male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were treated with saffron (40 or 80 mg/k/d) for 10 days, or saffron (40 or 80 mg/ kg/d) for 10 days and gentamicin 80 mg/kg/d for five days, starting from day 6. At the end of treatment, blood samples were taken for measurement of serum creatinine (SCr) and BUN. The left kidney was prepared for histological evaluation and the right kidney for Malondialdehyde (MDA) measurement. Gentamicin 80 (mg/k/d) increased SCr, BUN and renal tissue levels of MDA and induced severe histological changes. Saffron at 40 mg/k/d significantly reduced gentamicin-induced increases in BUN and histological scores (p<0.05). Gentamicin-induced increases in BUN, SCr and MDA and histological injury were significantly reduced by treatment with saffron 80 mg/k/d (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.05, and p<0.001 respectively). In conclusion, our results suggest that saffron treatment reduces gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity and this effect seems to be dose dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ajami
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eghtesadi
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pazoki-Toroudi
authors.forename: Rouhollah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Habibey
authors.forename: Soltan Ahmed
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D027622:Crocus / Q000737:chemistry*; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000633:toxicity*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005839:Gentamicins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde