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Protective effect of telmisartan against cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity in mice
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology Division, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. amrfouad65@yahoo.com
Aims:
To investigate the nephroprotective effect of telmisartan, the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, against renal injury induced by cadmium in mice.
Main Methods:
Mice received cadmium chloride at a dose of 1.2mg Cd/kg/day, s.c., for nine weeks. Telmisartan treatment (1mg/kg/day, orally) was started one week before cadmium administration and continued for ten weeks.
Key Findings:
Telmisartan significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine levels which were increased by cadmium. Also, telmisartan significantly suppressed lipid peroxidation, compensated deficits in the antioxidant defenses [reduced glutathione (GSH) level and catalase activity], decreased the elevations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO) and cadmium ion concentration, and attenuated the reductions of selenium and zinc ions in renal tissue resulted from cadmium administration. Histopathological examination revealed that cadmium-induced renal tissue damage was ameliorated by telmisartan treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that telmisartan significantly decreased the cadmium-induced overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), Fas ligand (FasL) and caspase-3 in renal tissue.
Significance:
Telmisartan, through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, effectively prevented cadmium nephrotoxicity in mice. Hence, telmisartan represents a potential candidate to protect the kidney from the detrimental effect of cadmium toxicity.
