Protective effect of Crocus sativus stamens extract on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative damage in rat kidney

Crocus sativus is a medicinal plant supposedly possessing various biological activities. Currently, it is evaluated only by the medicinal properties of its stigma and many parts of this plant are unused. This work contributes to the valorization of C.sativus stamens by exploring the property of methanolic extract to prevent gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Twenty Wistar rats (weight 250 ± 30g) were assigned into four equal groups (n = 5), and among the assigned groups, group 1 was given only distilled water (Control), group 2 received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of gentamicin (GEN) 80 mg/kg/d, group 3 received the combination of gentamicin (80 mg/kg/d, i.p.) and oral administration of a lower dose of C. sativus methanolic extract (250 mg/kg/d), while the group 4 received the combination of gentamicin (80 mg/kg/d, i.p.) and oral administration of a higher dose of C. sativus methanolic extract (500 mg/kg/d). The injection of gentamicin for the nephrotoxicity induction and post-treatment with methanolic extract was carried out once a day for 15 days. For nephrotoxicity evaluation, biochemical and histopathological analyses were performed. The estimation of serum and urinary creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, sodium levels was carried out with the help of Architect Ci 4100 Analyzer. Oxidative stress was assessed by the determination of renal malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) levels. The results of the study suggested that gentamicin injection induced a significant (p < 0.01) elevation in serum renal biochemical parameters and oxidative stress indices. The methanolic extract of C. sativus significantly (p < 0.05) reduced serum creatinine, urea, and sodium levels, with an improvement in the histopathological results of gentamicin-induced alterations. Furthermore, pretreatment with plant extracts improved hepatic antioxidant status, by the elevation of the CAT and reducing the lipid peroxidation level (MDA) in tissues. The present study suggests that the methanolic extract of C. sativus stamens has an interesting nephroprotective effect on the renal lesions induced by GEN in modulating renal parameters and oxidative stress on Wistar rats.