Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Seed Protects Kidney from Anticancer Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Mice
Background : Oxidative stress-related iflammatory mechanisms may play an important role in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed is a crude drug rich in serotonin derivatives to exhibit several biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects. The purpose of this study was to determine the renoprotective effects of Safflower seed, using cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity mice. Methods and Results : Safflower seed was orally administered at a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight for 5 days before the intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin 20 mg/kg body weight, and the effects were compared with those of vehicle-treated cisplatin administered to control and normal mice. In the serum and kidney, renal function parameters reactive oxygen species and expression of protein related to oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation and apoptosis were examined. Safflower seed treatment attenuated serum BUN, createinine and renal oxidative stress through reduction of reactive oxygen species and increase in the protein expression level of catalase. Safflower seed reduced renal protein expression of p-p38 and p-JNK (mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway), pro-apoptotic factors (such as Bax and caspase 3) and nuclear factor-kappa B-targeting pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. In addition, Safflower seed treatment led to significantly attenuated histological damage in the kidney. Conclusion : These renoprotective effects of Safflower seed were achieved through attenuation of oxidative stress and its sensitive protein expression associated with inflammation and apoptosis in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity mice.