Effect of vitamin C supplementation against cisplatin-induced toxicity and oxidative DNA damage in rats.

Antitumor agents are used as a common therapy against some kinds of cancer. However, as with many agents that have mammalian cell toxicity as a target, physiological adverse effects can occur such as nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity that can be induced in non-tumor cells by generating activated oxygen species, which attack the DNA frequently resulting in oxidative DNA damage. To diminish the undesirable side-effects of therapy and to reduce the levels of oxidative DNA damage, it is recommended for patients to ingest food supplements and vitamins combinations containing substantial amounts of antioxidants. In the present study, we investigated the effects of cisplatin and vitamin C on the renal toxicity and on the oxidative DNA damage. Rats were co-treated with the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (5 mg kg(-1) body weight) and dietary doses of vitamin C (50 and 100 mg kg(-1) body weight). Results demonstrated that depending on the treatment protocol, we observed alterations in parameters such as body weight, urinary volume and urinary creatinine, indicating some kidney toxicity. We also observed changes in the urinary levels of 8-OHdG, suggesting possible oxidative DNA damage. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.