Fish Oil Supplementation Ameliorates Long Term Cisplatin Treatment Induced Toxicity and Oxidative Damage in Rat Kidney

Background: Cisplatin (CP) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent widely used against various malignancies. However, CP exerts several side effects through oxidative stress by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The major side effect of CP chemotherapy is dose dependent nephrotoxicity that limits its clinical usage. We have previously shown that fish oil (FO) supplementation ameliorated gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity as evident by increase in the activities of brush border membrane (BBM) and free radical scavenging enzymes in rat kidney. In the present study we aimed to investigate whether fish oil (FO) can prevent the long term CP-induced nephrotoxic effects.

Methods: Rats were divided into four groups viz. control, CP, CPF and FO alone group. Rats in the groups CPF and FO were fed experimental diet prior to and simultaneously with or without CP treatment (3 mg/kg bwt i.p) respectively.

Results: FO supplementation to CP treated significantly mitigated the CP induced increase in serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and decrease in the activities of brush border membrane (BBM) enzymes in renal cortical and medullary homogenates as well as in isolated BBM vesicles (BBMV). FO consumption also reduced CP induced alterations in the activities of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes and in the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant parameters.

Conclusion: These results suggest that FO have potential to abrogate CP induced nephrotoxicity and can be a useful adjuvant in long term CP chemotherapy without any side effects. Moreover, the inherent anti-cancer properties of FO with CP treatment may exhibits synergistic beneficial effects.