Background and Objective: At high doses, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) acts as an endotoxin and induces acute kidney injury (AKI) in rodents. Crocin, a carotenoid and one of the active constituents of saffron, has numerous pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to determine the effects of crocin on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in LPS-induced AKI in male C57BL/6 mice.
Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 24 male C57BL/6 mice weighing 19-23 g and aged 8-10 weeks at the Experimental Studies Laboratory of Shahed University. The animals were randomly assigned to four groups of six: control, LPS, LPS plus crocin at 10 mg/kg body weight, and LPS plus crocin at 50 mg/kg body weight. In the treatment groups, crocin at 10 or 50 mg/kg body weight, dissolved in Califor vehicle, was administered by gavage twice at a 24-hour interval, with the second dose given one hour before LPS injection. To induce AKI, LPS dissolved in normal saline (10 mg/kg body weight) was injected intraperitoneally one hour after the final crocin dose. Biomarkers of renal function and oxidative stress, as well as inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, were evaluated.
Results: Compared with the LPS group, treatment with crocin at 50 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced serum creatinine (0.54±0.05; P<0.01) and BUN (25.80±2.40; P<0.05). The renal oxidative-stress marker MDA (2.75±0.22) also decreased significantly, whereas SOD activity (5.75±0.36) increased significantly (P<0.05). Crocin treatment also significantly reduced TNF-α (41.80±3.50; P<0.01) and increased IL-10 (52.90±3.30; P<0.05) compared with the LPS group.
Conclusion: Crocin may prevent LPS-induced AKI by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in renal tissue.