S-allyl cysteine, a bioactive ingredient of Allium sativum, alleviates carbon tetrachloride-induced acute renal dysfunction in the mouse

Background and Objective: Kidney diseases are endangering conditions to public health. Carbon tetrachloride (CCL4)-induced model of acute kidney injury (AKI) is a reliable model for studying renal damage under different conditions. S-allyl cysteine (SAC) is a natural organosulfur compound in aged garlic extract with multiple protective effects. In this study, possible preventive effect of SAC in CCl4 model of AKI was investigated. Materials and Methods: For induction of AKI, CCl4 (10 ml/kg body weight; 0.175% in olive oil) was intraperitoneally injected and SAC was given orally at doses of 25 or 100 mg/kg. Functional markers of kidney were determined besides renal analysis of oxidative stress and inflammatory indices. Results: SAC pretreatment at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 1 week before CCL4 challenge significantly and markedly reduced level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and significantly enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and with no significant effect on creatinine and catalase activity. In addition, such valuable effects were not observed for SAC at a dose of 25 mg/kg in CCL4-exposed group. Conclusion: Findings of this study indicated beneficial effect of SAC subsequent to CCL4-induced kidney injury that is partly mediated through its regulation of oxidative and inflammatory events and upregulating some of the antioxidants.