Myrtenol Protects Against Acute Kidney Injury Induced by Cisplatin in Mice

Cisplatin is an effective anticancer drug which has some side effects such as acute kidney injury. Myrtenol, a monoterpene alcohol which is found in some plants, has various pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this study, we evaluated the nephroprotective effects of myrtenol in acute kidney injury induced by cisplatin in male mice.

In this experimental in-vivo study, 35 male mice were randomly separated into 5 groups, including control, CIS (20 mg/kg cisplatin, intraperitoneally on day 1), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; received cisplatin only on day 1, plus DMSO 1% on the first day, continued for 3 days), and treatment groups (received cisplatin only on day 1, plus myrtenol 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg intraperitoneally on the first day, continued for 3 days). The blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were evaluated in serum. The renal tissues were collected for evaluating malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities; histopathological investigation was also performed.

Our results showed that cisplatin administration caused significant elevation in the levels of renal MDA and serum BUN; in contrast, renal SOD and CAT activities significantly reduced. Myrtenol treatment, especially 50 mg/kg for four consecutive days mitigated these alternations in serum and renal tissue. Also, the kidney’s histopathological investigations were consistent with biochemical and oxidative parameters.

The results of our study revealed that myrtenol ameliorates acute kidney injury induced by cisplatin via oxidative stress suppression.