Effects of Pycnogenol on cisplatin-induced optic nerve injury: an experimental study

To determine the effects of Pycnogenol on cisplatin-induced optic nerve damage.

Totally 18 albino Wistar male rats were assigned into three groups, with six rats in each group as follows: healthy controls (HC group), only cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg) administered group (CIS group) and Pycnogenol (40 mg/kg) + cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg) administered group (PYC group). We analyzed the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress, total glutathione (tGSH) as a marker of antioxidant status, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) as inflammatory markers, total oxidative status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) on eye tissue together with histopathological evaluation of optic nerve in an experimental model.

In CIS group MDA, TOS, TNF-α and NF-κB levels were statistically significantly higher (p < 0.001) than HC group while tGSH and TAS levels were significantly lower (p < 0.001). On the other hand, in PYC group MDA, TOS, TNF-α and NF-κB levels were statistically significantly lower (p < 0.001) than CIS group while tGSH and TAS levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001).

Pycnogenol pretreatment was highly effective in preventing augmentation of cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in eye tissue.