Carvacrol attenuates histopathogic and functional impairments induced by bilateral renal ischemia/reperfusion in rats

Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury is the most common cause of acute kidney injury, which frequent occurrence in critically ill patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Carvacrol (CARV) against bilateral ischemia reperfusion (I/R) in rats.

Renal I/R injury were induced by clamping of the left and right renal arteries for 45 min followed by 24 h of reperfusion. 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-CARV-treated group. At 2 h before reperfusion, the rats in the I/R- CARV -treated group rats received an i.p. injection of 75 mg/kg CARV. Renal function and histological changes were compared and the relevant parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation were detected.

Compared to the sham-control group, I/R led to renal dysfunction as evidenced by higher plasma urea and creatinine along with increase in oxidative stress and histological changes in renal tissues. Treatment with CARV decreased urea, creatinine, and renal MDA and MPO levels, and increased SOD, CAT, GSH activity and eNOS expression in the kidney. In the I/R-CARV-treated group, minimal hydropic changes in the tubular epithelial cells and regeneration of tubular epithelium were observed.

These results suggest that CARV treatment could reduce renal injury induced by bilateral renal I/R via anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytoprotective effects.