Cisplatin nephrotoxicity and protection by milk thistle extract in rats

The protective effect of methanolic extract of milk thistle seeds and silymarin against cisplatin-induced renal toxicity in male rats after a single intraperitoneal injection of 3 mg kg cisplatin were studied. Over 5 days, cisplatin-treated rats showed tubular necrosis and elevation in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr). Pretreatment of animals with silymarin (50 mg kg) or extract (0.6 g kg) 2 h before cisplatin prevented the tubular damage. Rats treated with silymarin or extract 2 h after cisplatin had BUN and Scr significantly lower than those receiving cisplatin, but mild to moderate necrosis was observed. These results suggested that milk thistle may protect against cisplatin-induced renal toxicity and might serve as a novel combination agent with cisplatin to limit renal injury.