Melatonin mitigates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury through regulation of the heat shock proteins expressions

Abstract

Purpose. To determine the protective effects of melatonin (MEL) in acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by Cisplatin (CP), widely used as a chemotherapeutic in the treatment of many cancer types, via assessment of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) levels in rats. Methods. Total 40 Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: Control (n = 10), MEL (n = 10, 10 mg/kg/i.p melatonin for 8 days), CP (n = 10, 7 mg/kg/i.p cisplatin at the 5th day), and CP + MEL (n = 10, 10 mg/kg/i.p melatonin for 8 days and 7 mg/kg/i.p cisplatin at the 5th day). After administrations, animals were sacrificed, and kidney tissues were extracted. Histopathological changes were evaluated and glomerular and tubular immunoreactivities of HSP47, HSP60, HSP7, and HSP90 in renal cortex were detected by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, blood serum BUN, creatinine and uric acid levels were measured to assess of kidney function. Results. CP group showed histopathological deterioration compared to Control group and MEL treatment attenuated this damage. When compared with Control and MEL groups, an increase in HSPs immunoreactivities in renal cortex and blood serum BUN, creatinine and uric acid levels were observed in the CP group. Furthermore, an improvement was observed in the CP + MEL in terms of these parameters compared to the CP group. Conclusion. According to our results, MEL could exert a significant protective effect to ameliorate CP-induced AKI via regulation of heat-shock protein expressions.