Nephropathies and especially nephrotoxicity have become one of the serious causes of life-threatening conditions because of intensive exposure to
xenobiotic whether by environmental pollution or by
drug abuse. The present study was undertaken to assess the protective effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum stem bark aqueous extract (AECZ) on
gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. AECZ was prepared by maceration in water and tested orally at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day to prevent
gentamicin-induced nephropathies in male Wistar rats.
Gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day) was administered for 14 consecutive days by intraperitoneal route, concomitantly with AECZ or
silymarin (50 mg/kg/day) used as reference drug. Animal
body weight was monitored during the treatment. After the last treatment on the 14th day, animals were sacrificed. Blood was collected for the evaluation of hematological and renal function
biomarkers. The homogenate of one kidney was used to assess oxidative stress markers and proinflammatory
cytokines, while the other one was fixed in
formaldehyde for histopathological studies.
Gentamicin decreased
body weight, serum total
proteins, and
calcium level but increased kidneys' relative weight, serum
creatinine,
urea, and
uric acid. Moreover, the levels of
reduced glutathione,
catalase, and
superoxide dismutase activities were decreased, while an increase in
malondialdehyde, proinflammatory
cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), and
nitrites was observed in the negative control group as compared to normal control. Histological analysis of the kidney revealed the presence of tubular
necrosis, glomerular degeneration, and macrophage infiltration in the
gentamicin-treated group. All these impairment parameters were prevented by AECZ and
silymarin treatments. AECZ has a protective effect against
gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. The
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of this extract may highly contribute to its nephroprotective activity.