Protective effect of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin on glycerol-induced acute renal failure in rat kidney.

Rhabdomyolysis-induced myoglobinuric acute renal failure (ARF) accounts for about 10% to 40% of all cases of ARF. Reactive oxygen intermediates have been demonstrated to play an etiologic role in myoglobinuric renal failure. This study was designed to investigate the effect of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin in glycerol-induced ARF in rats. Seven groups of rats were employed in this study, group I served as control; group II was given 50% glycerol (8 mL/kg, intramuscularly); groups III IV, and V were given glycerol plus resveratrol (2 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg p.o. route, respectively) 60 min prior to the glycerol injection; group VI received L-NAME (10 mg/kg, i.p.) along with glycerol and resveratrol (5 mg/kg), group VII animals received L-NAME (10 mg/kg) 30 min prior to glycerol administration. Renal injury was assessed by measuring plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and urea clearance. The oxidative stress was measured by renal malondialdehyde levels and reduced glutathione levels, and by enzymatic activity of catalase, glutathione reductase, and superoxide dismutase. Tissue and urine nitrite levels were measured as an index of total nitric oxide levels. Glycero treatment resulted in a marked decrease in tissue and urine nitric oxide levels, renal oxidative stress, and significantly deranged the renal functions along with deterioration of renal morphology. Pre treatment of animals with resveratrol (5 and 10 mg/kg) 60 min prior to glycerol injection markedly attenuated the fall in nitric oxide levels, renal dysfunction, morphologic alterations, reduced elevated thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, and restored the depleted renal antioxidant enzymes. This protection afforded by resveratrol was significantly reversed by cotreatment of L-NAME along with resveratrol, clearly indicating that resveratrol exerts its protective effect through nitric oxide release along with the antioxidative effect in glycerol-induced ARF.