The attenuative effects of oral resveratrol on renal changes induced by vanadium injection in rats

Introduction: Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4’-trihydroxystilbene) as a polyphenol with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties is known as an effective herbal medicine in different disorders in rats. Objectives: The present study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of oral consumption of resveratrol on vanadium induced renal injury in male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Animals received either ammonium metavanadate (AMV, 5 mg/kg/d, (intraperitoneally; 14 consecutive days) or resveratrol solution (10 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, gastric gavage) along with AMV treatment. The last group received resveratrol alone (50 mg/kg, gastric gavage) for 4 weeks. Results: AMV injection caused progressive tubular damages resembling acute tubular necrosis. Microscopic views revealed tubular attenuation and blebbing. In addition, progressive peritubular congestion of the capillaries observed while no evidence of renal fibrosis was present in trichrome staining. Further, levels of the renal transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) as an index of fibrosis had no difference in treated animals as compared with the control (13.4±1.2 versus 11.24±0.93 pg/mg protein) at the P < 0.05. However, in AMV-treated animals receiving the higher dose of resveratrol (50 mg/kg), the renal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, showed no difference as compared with the saline-treated rats (42±1.3 versus 51±1.4). Conclusions It is evident that AMV injection had no ability to induce renal fibrosis in rats while it evokes renal destructive lesions based on pathological results and enzyme levels. Moreover, our preliminary results suggest that resveratrol in high dose (50 mg/kg) could confer a minor role against AMV induced renal tubular necrosis in rats due to pathological results.