Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent that is used for the treatment of a variety of
cancers; however, its nephrotoxicity limits the use of this
drug. In the present study, we examined whether
paeonol, a major compound of
Moutan Cortex, has protective effects on
cisplatin-induced
acute renal failure in mice. To accomplish this, Balb/c mice (6 to 8 wk of age, weighing 20 to 25 g) were administered,
Moutan Cortex (300 mg/kg) or
paeonol (20 mg/kg) once a day. At day 4, mice received
cisplatin (30, 20, or 10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. The
paeonol-treated group showed marked attenuation of serum
creatine and blood
urea nitrogen levels as well as reduced levels of proinflammatory
cytokines and
nitric oxide when compared to the control group. In addition, the
paeonol-treated group showed prolonged survival and marked attenuation of renal tissue injury. Taken together, these results demonstrated that
paeonol can prevent the renal toxic effects of
cisplatin.