Some evidence for sex-based differences in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats
Mehdi Nematbakhsh, Ardeshir Talebi, Hamid Nasri, Tahereh Safari, Shahab Dolatkhah, Farzaneh Ashrafi, Fatemeh Eshraghi Jazi, Zahra Pezeshki, Shadi Ebrahimian, Mona Tooyserkani, Shabnam Hassan-Ajili
Med Sci Tech 2012; 53(1): RA29-32
ID: 883048
Available online:
Published: 2012-06-15
Background: Cisplatin (CP), as an anti-tumor drug, is associated with nephrotoxicity. We designed this study to determine the role of sex in CP-induced nephrotoxicity.
Material/Methods: Male and female rats were subjected to CP as single (8 mg/kg, protocol 1) and continuous (2 mg/kg/day for 5 days, protocol 2) doses, and sacrificed on day 6.
Results: The creatinine serum level and osmolality increased in animals from both protocols, and the serum concentration of magnesium decreased only in males (p<0.05), when compared with the control group. No significant differences in serum levels of creatinine, magnesium, total protein, and nitrite (nitric oxide metabolite); and serum osmolality were observed between sexes, but normalized kidney weight, percentage change of weight loss, and pathological data (kidney damage score in males from protocol 1 were greater than those in females, p<0.05). No significant difference in serum levels of sex hormones (estradiol and testosterone) were observed between the CP-treated and control groups.
Conclusions: Although biochemical findings indicate no significant difference between sexes in CP-treated animals, pathological data reveal that CP-induced nephrotoxicity could be sex-related, and the exact mechanisms of these complex behaviors remains to be elucidated.
Keywords: nephrotoxicity
