Short-term supplementation of DHA-enriched phospholipids attenuates the nephrotoxicity of cisplatin without compromising its antitumor activity in mice

Food Funct. 2021 Oct 4;12(19):9391-9404. doi: 10.1039/d1fo02000e.

Abstract

Cisplatin is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. However, cisplatin has been associated with nephrotoxicity, which limits its application in clinical treatment. Various studies have indicated the protective effect of phospholipids against acute kidney injury. However, no study has focused on the different effects of phospholipids with different fatty acids on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and on the combined effects of phospholipids and cisplatin in tumour-bearing mice. In the present study, the potential renoprotective effects of phospholipids with different fatty acids against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity were investigated by determining the serum biochemical index, renal histopathological changes, protein expression level and oxidative stress. The results showed that docosahexaenoic acid-enriched phospholipids (DHA-PL) and eicosapentaenoic acid-enriched phospholipids (EPA-PL) could alleviate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by regulating the caspase signaling pathway, the SIRT1/PGC1α pathway, and the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway and by inhibiting oxidative stress. In particular, DHA-PL exhibited a better inhibitory effect on oxidative stress and apoptosis compared to EPA-PL. Furthermore, DHA-PL exhibited an additional effect with cisplatin on the survival of ascitic tumor-bearing mice. These findings suggested that DHA-PL are one kind of promising supplement for the alleviation of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity without compromising its antitumor activity.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / chemically induced
  • Acute Kidney Injury / prevention & control*
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents / toxicity
  • Apoptosis
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use*
  • Cisplatin / toxicity*
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / administration & dosage*
  • Eicosapentaenoic Acid / administration & dosage
  • Kidney / drug effects
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Kidney / physiopathology
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha / metabolism
  • Phospholipids / administration & dosage*
  • Phospholipids / chemistry
  • Sarcoma 180 / drug therapy*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Sirtuin 1 / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha
  • Phospholipids
  • Ppargc1a protein, mouse
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids
  • Eicosapentaenoic Acid
  • Sirt1 protein, mouse
  • Sirtuin 1
  • Cisplatin