Çukurova Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi (Mar 2015)
The Effect of Erythropoietin on Methotrexate-Induced Renal Damage in Rats: Biochemical and Histopathological Studies
Abstract
Purpose: Methotrexate (MTX), a folic acid antagonist, is widely used as a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent for several malignancies and various inflammatory diseases. However, the efficacy of this agent often is limited by severe side effects and toxic conditions. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) which is a potent antioxidant substance in oxidative damage induced-MTX. Material and Methods: Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley sicans were equally divided into three groups: Sham animals were administered subcutaneous injections of 0.2 mL of 0.9% NaCl, group MTX were administered subcutaneous injections of methotrexate (5 mg/kg), and MTX+EPO-treated animals were administered subcutaneous injections of methotrexate (5 mg/kg) and EPO (2000 IU/kg) once daily for 4 consecutive days. At the fifth day, the animals were sacrified, and kidneys were excised. Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney tissue homogenates were measured as spectrophotometric. Tissues were evaluated as histopathologic with ligh microscope. Results: MDA levels in the Sham and MTX+EPO groups were significantly lower than those in the MTX group of both tissues (p<0.05). CAT and SOD activities in the Sham and MTX+EPO groups were significantly higher than those in the MTX group (p<0.05). Both tissues damage was significantly less in the MTX+EPO group than that in the MTX (p<0.05). EPO treatment reduced these histological damages. Conclusion: These data indicate that EPO may be useful therapeutic use in preventing kidney injury in patients receiving chemotherapeutic agents. [Cukurova Med J 2015; 40(1.000): 98-106]
