The effect of vitamin E in prevention of vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of vitamin E against vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity. There are some evidences that oxidative injury could be involved in its pathogenesis. Vitamin E at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg were administered s.c. to rats 30 min prior to i.p. injection of 200 mg/kg vancomycin (VAN). Drug administrations were done every 12 h for 7 days. Afterwards, urine and blood samples were collected and several parameters including activity of urinary ?-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), alanine aminopeptidase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum urea and creatinine (Cr) concentrations and changes in body and kidney weights were measured. In the animals which received only VAN, the activity of urinary GGT decreased and the activity of LDH in urine increased significantly compared to controls. Serum urea and Cr concentrations and the weight of animals’ kidneys increased and body weights decreased significantly in this group compared to controls. Vitamin E at the dose of 200 mg/kg, normalized the GGT and LDH activity. In addition, this dose ameliorated the rise in serum urea and Cr concentrations and improved the changes in kidney and body weights significantly. Other two doses of vitamin E only could modify the changes in body weights. There were marked pathologic changes in tubules of kidneys of VAN treated animals. The tissue injury was prevented only by 200 mg/kg vitamin E, however it remained different from controls. Vitamin E itself did not show any adverse effects on kidneys. It seems that VAN-induced nephrotoxicity might be at least partly due to free radical formation and vitamin E can attenuate its toxicity.