Abstract
Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is used in many countries in cosmetic and food industries. In this work, we investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats, the effect of four graded oral doses of KBrO3 (5, 15, 45 and 135 mg/kg/day for 28 days) on renal function tests, inflammation, oxidative damage, and apoptosis, as well as on histopathology, using several traditional and novel renal injury biomarkers in plasma, urine and renal tissues. We also tested the possible ameliorative action of the renoprotective prebiotic agent gum acacia (GA) on the actions of KBrO3 when given concomitantly with it in the drinking water at a concentration of 15%w/v. Taken together, the results indicated that treatment with KBrO3 at the 45 and 135 mg/kg doses caused a significant dose-dependent nephrotoxicity, as evident by the measured renal structural and functional indices and biomarkers of toxicity. GA co-treatment significantly abated most of the indices and biomarkers of the renal toxicity caused by KBrO3, suggesting a beneficial effect and its possible inclusion in edible products where KBrO3 is still used.