Does Vitamin E Mitigate Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity in Cancer Patients: Results from a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Cisplatin (CP) is a potent antineoplastic agent in the treatment of wide a range of cancers, but it is accompanied with nephrotoxicity, a major limiting side effect. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible protective effect of vitamin E in the prevention of CP-induced nephrotoxicity.
In this randomized clinical trial, a total of 51 patients treated with CP chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive vitamin E supplementation (400 Iu/ daily) (N=26) or placebo (N=25). Serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin were measured prior to each chemotherapy cycle and one month after the cessation of the cycles.
Compared to the baseline, a significant decrease was observed in the blood levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and serum creatinine in the vitamin E group (P=0.001). GFR was not reduced in the vitamin E group (P=0.001), and vitamin E was generally tolerated well.
Our findings indicated that vitamin E exert protective effects against CP-induced nephrotoxicity, a finding which requires larger studies for confirmation.