[The ameliorative effect of probucol on adriamycin (ADR) induced nephrotic rats]

This paper reports the ameliorative effect of Probucol (Pb) on ADR-induced nephrotic rats. Male Wistar rats underwent unilateral nephrectomy followed by one-week subsequent intravenous injection of 4.0 mg/kg of ADR. The rats were then divided into 3 groups: Pb-treated, non-treated and the control. The control group received 0.9% saline (vehicle) by injection. The 24-hr urinary protein excretion was measured for 24 weeks. When the animals were sacrificed at weeks 4, 12, and 24, respectively, blood samples were collected for biochemical study and the kidneys were extracted for measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA). In the morphological study, glomerular volume, glomerular sclerosis in dex (GSI), and tubulointerstitial index (TII) were calculated. Pb treatment lowered the serum lipid level and 24-hr urinary protein excretion. Total cholesterol was closely correlated with the urinary protein. However, there was no difference in terms of glomerular volume, kidney weight and GSI between the two groups. Pb treatment suppressed the kidney tissue MDA and TII significantly, the values of which were mutually correlated. The 24-hr protein excretion was significantly correlated with TII, but not with GSI. The decreased proteinuria was explained on the basis of suppression of enhancement of intraglomerular pressure induced by interstitial lesion. The findings suggest that renoprotection of Pb may derive from the amelioration of interstitial lesions.