Protective Effects of Vitamin E and/or Quercetin Co-Supplementation on the Morphology of Kidney in Cyclosporine A-Treated Rats

Background: cyclosporine a (csa) is a nephrotoxic immun osuppressive drug. antioxidants might attenuate its toxicity. in the present study, the effects of vitamin e and quercetin on the morphology of kidney in csa-treated rats were investigated.methods: six groups of rats were used in this gavage feeding study either for 4 or 8 weeks. groups 1 and 2 received eitherolive oil or 25% ethanol in olive oil per day. group 3 receivedcsa (25 mg/kg/day) in olive oil. all other groups received csaplus the following: group 4, vitamin e (100 mg/kg/day) in oliveoil; group 5, quercetin (15 mg/kg/day) in 25% ethanol in oliveoil; and group 6, vitamin e plus quercetin. in the final day of the study, the animals were sacrificed and kidney sections were prepared for morphologic studies using light microscopy.results: acute morphologic alterations induced by csa in the kidney tubules included isometric vacuolization, brush borderloss, microcalcification, and presence of inclusion bodies. smoothmuscle degeneration and necrosis were developed in arterioles.treatment with vitamin e plus quercetin prevented severe,moderate, and mild abnormalities of the tubules. however fibrosiswas the only microscopic change of the interstitium thatwas not present in animals treated with vitamin e plusquercetin after both periods.some mild morphological changes of the blood vessels such as arteriolar medial smooth muscle degeneration and necrosis,arteriolar myocyte dropout and arteriolar wall hyalinization caused by csa disappeared with administration of vitamine, quercetin or vitamin e plus quercetin in both periods.conclusion: co-administration of vitamin e plus quercetinwith csa in renal transplant patients may be beneficial inreducing the nephrotoxic effects of csa.