Investigation of the protective effect of Rhododendron luteum on DNA damage, nephrotoxicity, and some biochemical parameters caused by cisplatin in rats

Cancer is one of the largest public health problems worldwide with a complex disease profile. Although many treatment methods are used against this disease, it remains among the causes that threaten human health. There are many drugs in chemotherapy, one of the treatment methods used, and one of these drugs is cisplatin. Studies have reported that while cisplatin prevents the proliferation of cancer cells, it also affects healthy cells and causes many side effects. Side effects of cisplatin use are especially attributed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and new approaches are being developed to protect against these side effects. For this purpose, there are many studies in which antioxidant substances and cisplatin are used together. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the protective effect of Rhododendron luteum leaf extract against damages such as DNA damage, oxidative stress increase, apoptosis, inflammation and nephrotoxicity caused by cisplatin in rats. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity model was created with female Wistar Albino rats, and the rats were randomly assigned to 5 different groups (n = 6; control group, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group, cisplatin group, 12.5 mg / kg Rhododendron luteum treatment group and 25 mg / kg Rhododendron luteum treatment group). 0.5 ml saline solution for 6 days, 0.5 ml DMSO for 6 days for the control group, 7.5 mg / kg cisplatin for the first day and 0.5 ml for 5 days for the cisplatin group. Saline was administered to the treatment groups intraperitoneally, 7.5 mg / kg cisplatin on the first day and 0.5 ml Rhododendron luteum extract (12.5 mg / kg-25 mg / kg) for 5 days was sacrificed in the day. In kidney tissue and blood; malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAS), total oxidant capacity (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), glutathione (GSH), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were measured and histopathological evaluation of the kidney tissue was made. MDA, TOS, OSI, Caspase-3, TNF-α, 8-OHdG significantly decreased (p <0.05), while GSH levels increased significantly (p <0.05). In serum samples, while MDA, TOS, OSI, TNF-α levels decreased significantly (p <0.05), GSH and TAS levels increased significantly (p <0.05). In histopathological examination, it was observed that the treatment groups decreased the damage score compared to the cisplatin group. According to the results, it was observed that cisplatin caused nephrotoxicity in rats and Rhododendron luteum had protective effects on this toxicity.