Protective effect of oxymatrine against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common cause of acute kidney injury. The pathologic mechanisms underlying renal I/R injury are complicated, involving reactive oxygen species, necrosis, cell apoptosis, and inflammation, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of oxymatrine (OMT) on renal I/R injury and its underlying mechanism.

Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 10): the sham-control group, the renal I/R-untreated (I/R-untreated) group, and the I/R-OMT group. Renal I/R injury were induced by clamping the left renal artery for 45 min followed by 24 h of reperfusion. At 10 min before reperfusion, the rats in the I/R-OMT-treated group rats received an intravenous injection of 40 mg/kg OMT. Renal function and histological changes were compared and the relevant parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation were detected.

Oxymatrine pretreatment significantly decreased the level of renal dysfunction, attenuated the renal histological changes, the levels of reactive oxygen species production in renal tissue upon I/R. Additionally, OMT pretreatment could further activate the serum antioxidant enzyme activities.

The beneficial effects of OMT were likely mediated by the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the increase in endogenous antioxidant activity. The results of this study indicate that oxymatrine may represent a potent anti-oxidant drug to protect the kidney against I/R injury (Fig. 5, Ref. 29).