Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis:
Atorvastatin (ATO) and its siblings in the statin drug class are widely prescribed as a lipid lowering agent. However, ATO in high doses can induce renal toxicity via oxidative stress. Thymoquinone (TQ), an extractive of Nigella sativa,is a natural antioxidant that has been shown to protect the kidney via its anti-inflammatory effects. The aim was to study the anti-inflammatory effect of posttreatment TQ and whether it could reverse the ATO-induced oxidative injury to the rat kidney.
Methods:
We used 4 groups of adult male Sprague Dawley rats (control; TQ-treated; ATO-post treated; ATO- post treated plus TQ-treated). Each group was formed of 10 rats. Ultrastructural, and morphometric analyses of the rat kidneys were performed. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc tests (Bonferroni test) were used to compare the means of different groups, expressing data as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and P values of less than 0.01 were expected to be significant.
Results:
Morphometric analyses of the ultrastructural examination revealed that the histopathological changes induced by post treatment ATO has improved in the ATO/TQ-treated group compared to the ATO- post treated group.
Conclusion:
Posttreatment TQ appears to reduce and reverse renal injury due to ATO-induced oxidative stress. TQ can potentially play a role in alleviating side effects in patients with kidney disease who are being treated with high dose of atorvastatin.
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