title: Does protocatechuic acid, a natural antioxidant, reduce renal ischemia reperfusion injury in rats?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Protocatechuic acid (PCA), which has antioxidant property, is a simple phenolic compound commonly found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits, notably in green tea and almonds. Present study was an investigation of the effects of PCA on rat kidney with ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: (1) Sham, (2) Renal IR, (3) Renal IR+Vehicle, and (4) Renal IR+PCA. Renal reperfusion injury was induced by clamping renal pedicle for 45 minutes after right nephrectomy was performed, followed by reperfusion for 3 hours. Dose of 80 mg/kg PCA was intraperitoneally administered to 1 group immediately before renal ischemia; 33% polyethylene glycol was used as vehicle. Total antioxidant status (TAS), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 levels were measured in blood and kidney tissue samples taken from sacrificed rats. Kidney tissue samples were examined and scored histopathologically. Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP digoxigenin nick end labeling assay method was used to detect apoptotic cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that PCA significantly reduced serum MDA, TNF-α, and kidney MDA levels, while it increased serum and kidney TAS and SOD levels. Histopathological scores were significantly higher for the group given PCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCA reduced oxidative stress and can be used as an effective agent in treatment of renal IR injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Balıkesir University Faculty of Medicine, Balıkesir-Turkey. melihdr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yüksel
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yıldar
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Başbuğ
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Çavdar
authors.forename: Öztekin
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Çıkman
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akşit
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Akşit
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates; C009091:protocatechuic acid