Pharmacol Toxicol. 2001 Jun; 88(6): 294-9.

Tephrosia purpurea ameliorates N-diethylnitrosamine and potassium bromate-mediated renal oxidative stress and toxicity in Wistar rats.

Khan N, Sharma S, Alam A, Saleem M, Sultana S.

Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, Faculty of Science, Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University), New Delhi, India.

In an earlier communication, we have shown that Tephrosia purpurea ameliorates benzoyl peroxide-induced oxidative stress in murine skin (Saleem et al. 1999). The present study was designed to investigate a chemopreventive efficacy of T purpurea against N-diethylnitrosamine-initiated and potassium bromate-mediated oxidative stress and toxicity in rat kidney. A single intraperitoneal dose of N-diethylnitrosamine (200 mg/kg body weight) one hr prior to the dose of KBrO3 (125 mg/kg body weight) increases microsomal lipid peroxidation and the activity of xanthine oxidase and decreases the activities of renal antioxidant enzymes viz., catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, phase II metabolizing enzymes such as glutathione-S-transferase and quinone reductase and causes depletion in the level of renal glutathione content. A sharp increase in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine has also been observed. Prophylactic treatment of rats with T. purpurea at doses of 5 mg/kg body weight and 10 mg/kg body weight prevented N-diethylnitrosamine-initiated and KBrO3 promoted renal oxidative stress and toxicity. The susceptibility of renal microsomal membrane for iron ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation and xanthine oxidase activities were significantly reduced (P<0.01). The depleted levels of glutathione, the inhibited activities of antioxidant enzymes, phase II metabolizing enzymes and the enhanced levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were recovered to a significant level (P<0.01). All the antioxidant enzymes were recovered dose-dependently. Our data indicate that T purpurea besides a skin antioxidant can be a potent chemopreventive agent against renal oxidative stress and carcinogenesis induced by N-diethylnitrosamine and KBrO3.