Nephroprotective effect of silymarin against diclofenacinduced renal damage and oxidative stress in male rats

Introduction: Diclofenac (DIC), a phenylacetic acid compound which belongs to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), is generally used for the treatment of various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, acute muscle pain conditions and osteoarthritis. Overdose of DIC can lead to renal injuries in both experimental animal and human. Our research was done to assess the protective role of silymarin on renal damage induced by DIC in rats. Methods: Thirtytwo Wistar rats were assigned to four groups (n=8/group). Group 1 was control group; animals in group 2 were administrated DIC; Groups 3 and 4 administrated DIC plus silymarin with doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, orally (p.o), respectively. Various biochemical, molecular, and histological parameters were evaluated in serum and tissue homogenate. Results: In the second group, the levels of kidney catalase (CAT), vitamin C and superoxide dismutase (SOD) remarkably reduced (P lt; 0.05) relative to the control group. Also, urea, creatinine (Cr), malondialdehyde (MDA), serum tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα) and gene expression of TNFα in this group were noticeably elevated (P lt; 0.05) relative to the control group. Treatment with silymarin caused a remarkable elevation (P lt; 0.05) in vitamin C, SOD, CAT and a remarkable reduction (P lt; 0.05) in the content of MDA, urea, Cr, TNFα gene expression and serum TNFα in comparison with second group. Histological injuries were also ameliorated by silymarin administration. Conclusion: The results confirm that silymarin has an ameliorative role against renal damage and oxidative stress induced by DIC in male rats.