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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