Abstract:
This study has been initiated to determine whether captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor
containing sulfhydryl (-SH) group can protect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. A single dose of
cisplatin (7.5mg/kg bwt) injected i.p. caused a significant increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine
levels amounting to 402% and 573%, respectively with a marked elevation in lipid peroxides measured as
malondialdehyde (MDA) content (54%), accompanied by a significant decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH)
content (27%) of kidney tissue as compared to control group. In addition, there were marked increases in kidney
tissue content of nitric oxide (NO) (43%) and plasma endothelin-1(ET-1) (37%). On the other hand,
administration of captopril (60mg/kg bwt, i.p.) 1 h before cisplatin protected the kidney as indicated by
restoration of BUN, creatinine, MDA, GSH, NO and ET-1. These results indicate that captopril, an ACEI, has a
protective effect against cisplatin-induced damage to kidney. This reflects the beneficial role of captopril in
treatment of renovascular hypertention and congestive heart failure; an effect that may be related to its free
radicals scavenging and antioxidant effects which are sulfhydryl dependent.
