Protective role of polyphenols in cyclosporine A-induced nephrotoxicity during rat pregnancy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adverse effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) toward renal morphogenesis and to test the renoprotective natural antioxidants such as provinol (PV). Pregnant rats were divided into four groups. Group I was injected SC with olive oil. Group II was treated with oral administration of PV and was used as control. Group III animals were injected SC daily with CsA, and group IV animals were injected daily with CsA and PV for 21 days of pregnancy. Five pups per litter were killed and the kidneys removed and treated by morphological and immunohistochemical (IHC) methods. IHC analysis considered two proteins responsible for nephrotoxicity in adult rats: inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2). Pregnancy outcomes among CsA-treated rats demonstrated a reduced number of pups. Pups that were exposed antenatally to CsA presented several pathologic findings in all immature parenchyma and an increase in iNOS and MMP2 expression. These side effects were not observed in kidney of litters born from CsA + PV-treated mothers. Our study indicates that CsA induces morphological alterations in renal parenchyma of neonates and that PV plays a protective role against these side effects.