Renoprotective activity of benincasa cerifera fruit extract on ischemia/reperfusion-induced renal damage in rat

Evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species play a role in the pathophysiology of renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study was designed to investigate the renoprotective activity of methanolic fruit extract of Benincasa cerifera in I/R-induced kidney failure in rats.

Renal pedicles of 12 rats were occluded for 60 minutes followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. Six days prior to induction of I/R, 6 of the rats received Benincasa cerifera, 500 mg/kg, orally. Serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels were measured after the operation. At the end of reperfusion period, the rats were sacrificed. Superoxide dismutage, catalase, reduced glutathione, and renal malondialdehyde content were determined in the renal tissues. Results were compared with a group of rats with sham operation.

Renal I/R caused significant impairment of kidney function. Six-day administration of Benincasa cerifera, however, minimized this effect. Rats with renal I/R only showed significantly decreased activity of superoxide dismutage, catalase, and reduced glutathione compared with the sham-operated rats. These declining trends were significantly less in the group treated with Benincasa cerifera compared with those in the I/R-only group (P = .008, P = .07, and P < .001, respectively). Renal I/R produced a significant increase in malondialdehyde level, while pretreatment with Benincasa cerifera was associated with a significantly lower malondialdehyde level (P < .001).

These findings imply that reactive oxygen species play a crucial role in I/R-induced kidney injury and Benincasa cerifera exerts renoprotective activity probably by the radical scavenging activity.