Unraveling the Potential of Saccharum officinarum and Chlorella vulgaris towards 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Abstract

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is often used as a chemotherapeutic agent in treating tumors and is said to have adverse effects, including nephrotoxicity. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of Chlorella vulgaris (VL) and Saccharum officinarum L. (SOL) against 5-FU-induced nephrotoxicity in rats through the measurement of renal histology, kidney damage indicators, and antioxidant measures. A total of forty-eight male rats were allotted into six groups: group 1 acted as a control negative group (control), group 2 received 5-FU and worked as a control positive group (FU), group 3 received SOL 15 mL/kg (SOL), group 4 received VL 400 mg/kg (VL), group 5 received 5-FU+SOL (5-FU+SOL), and group 6 received 5-FU+VL (5-FU+VL). After fifteen days, blood and renal tissue specimens were collected for hematological, biochemical, molecular, and histopathological examinations. Findings of the current investigation showed that 5-FU leads to hematological alterations and kidney injury evinced by elevated serum concentrations of uric acid, creatinine, and urea (p < 0.01), and a marked increase in kidney MDA and NO levels with a reduction in kidney CAT, SOD and GSH activities (p < 0.05). Alterations of the histopathological structure of kidney tissue in the FU group were noticed compared to the other groups. 5-FU administration elevated expression levels of TNF-α, lipocalin 2, and KIM1 (p < 0.01) compared to the control ones. 5-FU-induced nephrotoxicity was ameliorated after treatment with SOL and VL via their free radical scavenging, potent antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the treatment with SOL and VL significantly improved nephrotoxicity induced by 5-FU in rats.