Nephroprotective effect of C-phycocyanin on renal damage induced by kanamycin in rats Zulema Ramírez-Carmenate 1 , Sandra Rodríguez-Salgueiro 2* , Mariuska Matos-Terrero 3 , Amelia Capote-Crespo 4 , Diana García del Barco-Herrera 3 , Lucía González-Núñez 4 1 Biomarkers Group, Molecular Immunology Center, Havana, Cuba 2 Microscopy Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Division, National Center for Scientific Research, Havana, Cuba 3 Pharmaceutical Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba 4 Department of Human Morphophysiology II-III, Latin American School of Medicine, Havana, Cuba Copyright © 2017 The Author(s);Published by Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Introduction The biliprotein C-phycocyanin is a photo- synthetic pigment extracted from blue-green algae such as Spirulina sp. (1). It has various pharmacological properties related to its an- tioxidant activity (2-4). C-phycocyanin is a major component of the dietary supplement spirulina, which is frequently used in many countries due to its nutritional value (5,6). Nephroprotective effects of C-phycocyanin have been previously proven in models of nephrotoxicity induced by oxalate in rats (7,8) and by cisplatin in mice (9-11). This has also been confirmed in models of in- flammation and fibrosis in mice (12) and diabetic nephropathy in rats (13). The aminoglycoside antibiotics are often used in clinical practice, mainly in the treat- ment of serious infections caused by gram negative bacteria (14). However, the clinical benefits of these agents are affected by its most persistent and serious side effects: oto- toxicity and nephrotoxicity (15-18). The production of reactive oxygen spe- cies (ROS) is the central pathophysiolog- ical mechanism of renal damage induced by aminoglycosides (19). The ROS initially leads to death of proximal tubule epithelial cells (acute tubular necrosis phase) (20,21) and subsequently, to vascular and mesangial *Correspondence to Sandra Rodríguez Salgueiro, PhD; Email: sandra.rodriguez@cnic. edu.cu Received 29 January 2017 Accepted 8 March 2017 ePublished 19 March 2017 Keywords: C-phycocyanin, Nephroprotective, Kanamycin nephrotoxicity, Antioxidant, Renal damage, Aminoglycosides Citation: Ramírez- Carmenate Z, Rodríguez-Salgueiro S, Matos-Terrero M, Capote-Crespo A, Diana del Barco-Herrera D, González-Núñez L. Nephroprotective effect of C-phycocyanin on renal damage induced by kanamycin in rats. Ann Res Antioxid. 2017;2(1):e05. Introduction: Pharmacological properties of C-phycocyanin are related to its antioxidant activity. The use of aminoglycoside antibiotics is limited due to the risk to induce nephrotoxicity. Agents with antioxidant properties reduce renal damage caused by aminoglycosides. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of C-phycocyanin on glomerular and tubular morphologies during recovery phase after the damage induced by a chronic treatment with kanamycin in rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine adult male Wistar rats divided into five groups were treated for 20 days with;solution of sodium chloride 0.1 mol/L, pH 7.2-7.4 (PBS) (Control group), kanamycin (500 mg/kg) (Kanamycin group) and the other three groups received C-phycocyanin (5 or 10 mg/ kg) plus kanamycin (500 mg/kg) (Phycocyanin Concomitant 5, Phycocyanin Concomitant 10 and Phycocyanin Pretreated 10). The group Phycocyanin Pretreated 10 received a previous treatment with C-phycocyanin during 4 days. Eight weeks after the last treatment, kidneys were removed, embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS). Glomeruli and proximal tubules were evaluated by light microscopy in 10 histological fields of cortical area, using qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative morphological studies. Results: The group Phycocyanin Pretreated 10 showed the best effects minimizing glomerular and tubular damages and increasing the density of preserved tubules. The group Phycocyanin Concomitant 10 had effect on proximal tubules only. These two groups decreased the global renal damage caused by kanamycin. Conclusion: C-phycocyanin accelerates the recovery of glomeruli and proximal tubules damaged by kanamycin in rats, possibly due to its antioxidant properties. Abstract Ann Res Antioxid. 2017;2(1):e05 Original Annals of Research in Antioxidants http annresantioxidants.com Core tip C-phycocyanin accelerates the recovery of glomeruli and proximal tubules damaged by kanamycin in rats, possibly due to its antioxidant properties.