Ameliorative effect of riboflavin on the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity under photoillumination

Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug. It is documented that it elicits major side effects like nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity due to oxidative stress forcing the patients to limit its clinical use in long term treatment. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a strong photosensitizer because it generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photoillumination. We have tried to trap its photosensitizing property to ameliorate the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in mice. They were treated with riboflavin and cisplatin separately as well as with their combination under photoilluminated condition. The status of major antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant proteins, functional markers, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation was studied in liver, kidneys and serum samples of all the groups. Cisplatin treated group showed significantly compromised level of antioxidant enzymes and the proteins with higher extent of lipid and protein oxidation. Similar but less pronounced pattern was observed in the riboflavin treated group. The groups treated with the combination of cisplatin and riboflavin showed all the parameters tended towards normal levels in a dose dependent manner. Hence, it can be hypothesized that riboflavin shows ameliorative effect on the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity under the mentioned treatment conditions.