Abstract
Although cisplatin is a potent chemotherapeutic agent against cancers, its clinical application is seriously limited by its severe side effects of nephrotoxicity. Previous studies reported that saponins isolated from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum (PGS) exerted protective effects in various animal models of renal injury, with no confirmation on cisplatin-induced injury. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of PGS (15 and 30 mg/kg) on cisplatin-induced kidney injury in mice. The levels of serum creatinine (CRE) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and renal histopathology demonstrated the protective effect of PGS against cisplatin-induced kidney injury. PGS exerted anti-inflammation effects via suppressing nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and alleviating the cisplatin-induced increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in kidney tissues. The expressions of phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B and its downstream apoptotic factors, such as Bcl-2 and caspase families were regulated by PGS in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, PGS exerted kidney protection effects against cisplatin-induced kidney injury by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and regulating PI3K/Akt/apoptosis signaling pathways in mice.