Effects of Quercetin on Cisplatin-Induced Renal Damage in Wistar Albino Rats

Aim: Cisplatin is one of the effective antineoplastic drugs widely used in the treatment of many types of cancer. Cisplatin has harmful effects such as nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity and cardiomyopathy. Quercetin is an antioxidant of the flavonoid group. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of quercetin against cisplatin-induced kidney damage in rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups: Group 1: Control (no application), Group 2: Quercetin (25 mg/kg/7 days/intraperitoneal), Group 3: Cisplatin (7 mg/kg/single dose/ intraperitoneal), Group 4: Cisplatin+quercetin (7 mg) /kg/single dose/ intraperitoneal cisplatin followed by 25 mg/kg/7 days/ intraperitoneal quercetin). After routine histological follow-up, hematoxylin eosin and periodic acid-schiff staining were performed. Histopathological damage score was calculated. Caspase-3 immunostaining was performed and scored. Results: Control and quercetin groups had normal histological appearance. In the cisplatin group, dilatation of the tubules, epithelial shedding, vacuolization of the tubular epithelial cells, and loss of microvilli in the proximal tubules were detected. In addition, infiltration areas were also found in places. In addition, an increase in caspase-3 immunostaining intensity was detected in this group (p=0.000). Histopathological findings were significantly reduced in the cisplatin+quercetin group compared to the cisplatin group (p=0.001). Conclusion: In this study, we think that quercetin is histopathologically beneficial in the treatment of cisplatin-induced kidney damage.