Renoprotective effect of crocin following liver ischemia/ reperfusion injury in Wistar rats

The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effects of hepatic ýischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, biochemical factors, and ýhistopathological changes in rat kidney, and to investigate the effect of crocin on IR-ýrelated changes.
Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n=8). They were ýsham-operated, IR, crocin pre-treatment, and crocin pretreatment groups. Sham-operated ýand Crocin pre-treatment groups received normal saline (N/S, 2 ml/day) and crocin (200 mg/kg) ýfor seven consecutive days intraperitoneally (IP), respectively, then rats underwent laparotomy, only. ýIR and crocin pretreatment groups received N/S and crocin with the same dose, time, and route, ýrespectively, then rats underwent partial (70%) ischemia for 45 min that was followed by reperfusion ýfor 60 min. At the end of the experiment, kidney specimens were taken for histopathological and ýantioxidant evaluations and also blood samples were obtained for biochemical analysis.
The results of the present study showed that crocin pre-treatment significantly increased ýthe activity of antioxidants, decreased the serum levels of liver enzymes and blood urea nitrogen ýfollowing IR-induced hepatic injury. Crocin also ameliorated kidney´s histopathological ýdisturbance beyond IR-induced hepatic injury.
Crocin as an antioxidant agent protected renal insult following liver IR injury by ýincreasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, reducing serum levels of liver enzymes, and ýimproving histopathological changes.ý