Hyperlipidaemia in cisplatin-induced nephrotic rats

The serum and hepatic lipid concentrations were investigated in rats made nephrotic with a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin (6 mg kg(-1) b.wt.). The serum creatinine and urea concentrations were estimated as indices of nephrotoxicity, and the serum total bilirubin level as a liver function test. 3 The fasting serum total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG) and the cholesterol fractions associated with the various lipoproteins, as well as hepatic cholesterol and TG contents were also measured, following 5, 10 and 15 days from the cisplatin treatment. 4 The results revealed that on day 5 both serum creatinine and urea concentrations were significantly (P<0.01) increased, indicating the peak of nephrotoxicity, with no injurious effects on the liver as indicated by the unaltered serum bilirubin concentration. 5 The nephrotoxicity was accompanied by significant elevations in serum total cholesterol and TG concentrations by 49 and 42%, respectively, with significant (P < 0.05) correlations between the serum cholesterol and TG concentrations versus the serum urea (r=0.68 and r=0.60, respectively). Among the estimated lipoproteins, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol was severely increased to more than twofold with no severe changes in LDL- or HDL-cholesterol fractions. On day 5 the liver also showed significant accumulation of TG with no change in the cholesterol content. Animals killed 10 or 15 days post-cisplatin treatment had all the perturbed parameters returned to the normal levels. The present results indicated that rats exposed to a single cisplatin injection exhibit acute reversible nephrosis on day 5 which was accompanied by dyslipidaemia and accumulated liver TG.