NUSANTARA BIOSCIENCE ISSN: 2087-3948 Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 192-200 E-ISSN: 2087-3956 November 2016 DOI: 10.13057/nusbiosci/n080210 Nephroprotective potential of Pistacia chinensis bark extract against induced toxicity in rats SAADIA SATTAR 1,♥ , MUHAMMAD RASHID KHAN 1,♥♥ , NASEER ALI SHAH 2, ♥♥♥ , FARAH NOUREEN 1 , KIRAN NAZ 1 1 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. ♥ email: drnaseeralishah@gmail.com, ♥♥ mrkhanqau@yahoo.com 2 Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan. ♥♥♥ email: drnaseeralishah@gmail.com Manuscript received: 20 May 2016. Revision accepted: 21 September 2016. Abstract. Sattar S, Khan MR, Shah NA, Noureen F, Naz K. 2016. Nephroprotective potential of Pistacia chinensis bark extract against induced toxicity in rats. Nusantara Bioscience 8: 192-200. Pistacia chinensis possesses profound antioxidant properties. In this study, the protective influence of P. chinensis bark ethanol extract (PCBE) was scrutinized against CCl4 induced renal toxicity in rats (6 rats in each group). Seven different groups of Sprague–Dawley male rats were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 (1 mL/kg b.w.; 30% CCl4 in olive oil) at an interval of 48 hour for four weeks. PCBE at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w. or silymarin at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w. was orally administered to the animals on alternate days. CCl4 induced renal toxicity was evident by a significant increase in specific gravity, albumin, count of RBCs and pus cells in urine. Administration of PCBE significantly ameliorated the enhanced serum level of urea, creatinine, and bilirubin whereas increased the level of total protein. Moreover, the influence of CCl 4 significantly elevated the level of lipid peroxidation (TBARS), H2O2 and nitrite content whereas enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and quinone reductase), non- enzymatic antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH) content in kidney homogenate was compromised. When animals were treated along PCBE, a remarkable protective role was observed on all the parameters of kidney in comparison to only CCl 4 treated groups. From this study, it can be concluded that PCBE holds an effective antioxidant and nephroprotective property. Keywords: Lipid peroxidation, renal damage, glutathione, antioxidant, creatinine INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants are considered an important source of therapeutic agents, both in folk and modern medicines (Krentz and Bailey 2005). According to an estimation of the World Health Organization (WHO 2002) about 75-80% population is dependent on the use of medicines derived from plants as a remedy of their ailments. Another study marked out that almost 25-30% prescribed medicines and about 11% of crucially important drugs are plants derived. Moreover, enormous other medicines are also synthesized from precursor composites obtained from plants (Rates 2001). The indigenous people of developing countries immensely rely on traditional medicines. The utilization of plants as therapeutic agents is an old practice and most of the drugs available in market are directly or indirectly plant-derived (Yuan et al. 2010). The weak socioeconomic position and inadequate medical facilities available to natives of rural areas compel them to rely on conventional drugs (Corrêa et al. 2011). Fibrosis is a clinically challenging and frequently occurring process due to chronic tissue injury (Benyon and Iredale 2000). The potent agent usually used to prompt fibrosis in animal models is CCl4 (Armendariz-Borunda et al. 1990). The major cause of chronic kidney disorder is renal fibrosis (Pradère et al. 2008). Such renal fibrosis also results from acute diabetes, ureteral impediment and hypertension (Al-Bayati et al. 2002). Changes in renal vascular structure and glomerulosclerosis are also the cause of renal fibrosis (Pradère et al. 2008). The loss of balance between the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and the defensive machinery of a cell leads to the creation of oxidative stress resulting in worse damage to the cell (Samouilidou et al. 2003). In a cell or tissue various Nitrogen Reactive Species (RNS) and ROS are evolved, either as the result of normal cell accomplishments or exogenous influences such as chemicals, UV radiations, ionizing beams, and sunlight. Here, OH free ions, H2O2, and superoxides are eminent reactive oxygen species (Cerutti 1991). To induce oxidative stress in experimental organisms normally CCl4 is used. Free radicals are produced in various tissues such as kidneys, blood, brain, liver, heart, lungs and glands by CCl4 (Pirinççioğlu et al. 2012). Tissue injury tempted by CCl4 is channeled through the development of highly reactive intermediates; •CCl3 (trichloromethyl radical) and CCl3OO• (trichloromethyl peroxy radical). These radicals are produced by cytochrome (P-450) of tissue and are assumed to cause peroxidation of lipids (Shah et al. 2013). Further on, ROO• (peroxy radicals) and R• (alkoxy) radicals are generated by the reaction between PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and free radicals such as •CCl3 and CCl3OO•. These alkoxy and peroxy radicals latter on produces lipid peroxides which are considered to be extremely reactive, altering