Protective effects of antioxidants on paraquat-induced acute renal failure in mice

The protective effects of antioxidants against elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were studied in newly developed acute renal failure in mice induced by paraquat. The administration of paraquat caused marked azotemia accompanied by a decreased glomerular filtration rate. In contrast, elevated BUN was significantly reduced by the preadministration of either dimethylthiourea, deferoxamine or alpha-tocopherol. These data suggest that acute renal failure induced by paraquat is mainly related to the hydroxyl radicals produced via the iron-catalyzed Haber-Weiss reaction.