title: Thymoquinone Ameliorates Cadmium-Induced Nephrotoxicity, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress in Rats is Based on its Anti-Apoptotic and Anti-Oxidant Properties.
abstract: Cadmium (Cd), an environmental and industrial pollutant, generates free radicals responsible for oxidative stress. Cd can also lead to various renal toxic damage such as the proximal tubules and glomerulus dysfunction. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the main constituent of the essential oil obtained from black seeds (Nigella sativa) and has various pharmacological effects. The aim of the present study was to examine the nephroprotective, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic effect of the TQ against Cd-induced nephrotoxicity. A total of 24 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: control, Cd-treated, and Cd-treated with TQ; each group contain eight animals. The Cd-treated group was injected subcutaneously with CdCl2 dissolved in saline in the amount of 2 ml/kg/day for 30 days, resulting in a dosage of 1 mg/kg Cd. The rats in TQ-treated groups were given TQ (50 mg/kg body weight) once a day orally together with first Cd injection during the study period. The histopathological studies in the kidney of rats also showed that TQ markedly reduced the toxicity of Cd and preserved the normal histological architecture of the renal tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TQ significantly decreased the Cd-induced over expression of nuclear factor-κB in renal tissue. Furthermore, TQ treatment resulted in decreased the number of apoptotic cells. TQ significantly suppressed lipid peroxidation, compensated deficits in the anti-oxidant defenses (reduced superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities) in renal tissue resulted from Cd administration. These findings suggest that the nephroprotective potential of TQ in Cd toxicity might be due to its anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties, which could be useful for achieving optimum effects in Cd-induced nephrotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey. mustafaerboga@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erboga
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul Medeniyet, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanter
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cevat
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aktas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sener
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fidanol Erboga
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yeliz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bozdemir Donmez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namik Kemal, Tekirdag, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016227:Benzoquinones; D002104:Cadmium; C003466:thymoquinone
keywords: Apoptosis; Cadmium; Nephrotoxicity; Rats; Thymoquinone