Renal corpuscle alterations induced by gentamicin in adult male albino rats and a possible protective role of ginger: histological and biochemical study

Introduction:Gentamicin is a widely used effective antibiotic with a possible risk of nephrotoxicity. Ginger is an antioxidant that could play a protective role in models of experimentally induced nephropathies. Aim of the work:The aim of this work was to study the possible histological and biochemical changes induced by gentamicin on renal corpuscles and evaluate the possible protective effect of ginger on gentamicin-induced renal damage in adult male albino rats. Materials and methods :Twenty-four adult male albino rats divided into four groups (six rats each) were used in this study. Group I served as the control group. Rats of group II received only an aqueous extract of ginger at a daily dose of 1 ml for 7 days through a gastric tube. Rats of group III were injected intraperitoneally with gentamicin sulphate at a daily dose of 80 mg/kg for 7 days. Rats of group IV were given both ginger and gentamicin at the same doses and through the same routes as the previous two groups. At the end of the experiment, the rats were sacrificed after ether inhalation and blood samples were subjected to chemical assay for assessment of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Renal tissue samples were processed for light and electron microscopic examination. An immunohistochemical study was also performed for assessing α-smooth muscle actin to demonstrate mesangial expansion. The obtained results were analysed morphometrically and statistically. Results: Gentamicin caused several focal glomerular changes in the form of congestion and rupture of capillaries and also atrophic changes. Mesangial hyper-cellularity and increased inter-capillaries mesangial matrix were observed. Destroyed blood renal barrier was observed ultrastructurally. There was a highly significant increase in serum urea, creatinine and MDA, whereas SOD decreased. Ginger normalized the gentamicin-induced increase in serum BUN, creatinine, MDA and SOD. This was also evidenced by histological studies. Conclusion: Gentamicin induced injurious effects on renal corpuscles. Coadministration of ginger during gentamicin treatment can ameliorate both the functional and histological changes induced by gentamicin.