Nephroprotective effect of aqueous extract of aerial parts of Hypericum scabrum L.

Abstract

Numerous studies show that hydrogen peroxide has an important role in the initiation or progression of gentamicin-induced renal injury. This natural product with hydrogen peroxide scavenging ability can be beneficial in renal injury treatments. Therefore, this work was conducted to evaluate a possible nephroprotective effect of an aqueous extract of the aerial parts of Hypericum scabrum L. against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. The rutin content was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection. Renal injury was elicited by eight consecutive daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of gentamicin at 100 mg kg⁻¹ per day. The i.p. application of an aqueous extract of H. scabrum at doses of 25 and 50 mg kg⁻¹ for 10 consecutive days offered nephroprotection by changing blood urea nitrogen, serum urea, and creatinine levels. The results exhibit that application of the extract at the higher dose exhibits better activity than the low dose.

Keywords:

• Hypericum scabrum L.
• nephrotoxicity
• gentamicin
• creatinine
• urea

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support of National Elite's Foundation of Iran (Tehran, Iran) for this study. This article is dedicated to Seyed Maryam Nabavi and with the memory of Seyed Ali Asghar Nabavi.