Apocynin Alleviates Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Through Regulating the Level of Zinc and Metallothionen.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the protective effects of apocynin on renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury (RI/RI) in rats. Rats preconditioned with apocynin were subjected to renal I/R. Zinc levels in serum and renal tissues, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (Scr) were detected. We further measured the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD); the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α; and the expression of metallothionein (MT) in the renal tissues. Results indicated that the levels of MDA, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and MT in the kidney tissue and serum BUN and Scr levels in RI/RI group were significantly higher than those in sham-operated group, while the levels of serum Zn and kidney Zn and SOD were reduced in RI/RI group. Apocynin treatment further decreased the levels of MDA, IL-6, TNF-α, and serum BUN and Scr, whereas it significantly increased the levels of Zn, SOD, IL-4, IL-10, and MT in the kidney tissue and serum Zn. These findings suggest that apocynin might play a protective role against RI/RI in rats through regulating zinc level and MT expression involving in oxidative stress.