L-citrulline protects against glycerol-induced acute renal failure in rats

There is an increasing evidence that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute renal failure (ARF). In this study, protective effects of L-citrulline on glycerol-induced ARF in rats were investigated. Six groups of rats were employed in this study: group 1 served as a control; group 2 was only given glycerol (50%, 10 mL/kg, i.m.); group 3 was given glycerol plus dexamethasone (0.1 mg/kg, i.g.) as positive reference drug, starting at the same time as the glycerol injections; the last three groups were given glycerol plus L-citrulline (300, 600, and 900 mg/kg, i.g.) respectively, starting at the same time as the glycerol injections. The injections of glycerol were only once, and after glycerol injections the i.g. administrations of dexamethasone and L-citrulline were repeated every 24 h for 7 days. After 7 days of glycerol injections, the blood samples and kidney tissues were harvested for future biochemical and pathology analyses. The levels of creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) in plasma, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO), the activity of total nitric oxide synthase (TNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were evaluated in kidney tissues. Consequently, administrations of L-citrulline improved an impaired intrarenal oxygenation and kidney function compared with the glycerol group, and prevented the renal oxidative stress damage as well as severe functional and morphological renal deterioration. Therefore, L-citrulline might have potential application in the amelioration of glycerol-induced ARF.