Plantago major protects against cisplatin-induced renal dysfunction and tissue damage in rats

Natural products: potential treatments for cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity

Cisplatin is a clinically advanced and highly effective anticancer drug used in the treatment of a wide variety of malignancies, such as head and neck, lung, testis, ovary, breast cancer, etc. However, it has only a limited use in clinical practice due to its severe adverse effects, particularly nephrotoxicity; 20%–35% of patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) after cisplatin administration. The nephrotoxic effect of cisplatin is cumulative and dose dependent and often necessitates dose reduction or withdrawal. Recurrent episodes of AKI result in impaired renal tubular function and acute renal failure, chronic kidney disease, uremia, and hypertensive nephropathy. The pathophysiology of cisplatin-induced AKI involves proximal tubular injury, apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular injury in the kidneys. At present, there are no effective drugs or methods for cisplatin-induced kidney injury. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies show that numerous natural products (flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, polysaccharide, phenylpropanoids, etc.) have specific antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties that regulate the pathways associated with cisplatin-induced kidney damage. In this review we describe the molecular mechanisms of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and summarize recent findings in the field of natural products that undermine these mechanisms to protect against cisplatin-induced kidney damage and provide potential strategies for AKI treatment.

Plantago media L.-Explored and Potential Applications of an Underutilized Plant

The search of valuable natural compounds should be directed towards alternative vegetal resources, and to the re-discovery of underutilized plants. Belonging to the Plantaginaceae family, the hoary plantain (Plantago media L.) represents one of the lesser studied species from the Plantago genus. The literature study revealed the under-utilization of the hoary plantain, a surprising aspect, considering its widespread. If the composition of Plantago media L. is rather well established, its applications are not nearly studied as for other Plantago species. The goal of the present paper is to summarize the findings regarding the applications of P. media, and, having as starting point the applications of related species, to propose new emerging areas of research, such as the biomedical applications validation through in vivo assays, and the evaluation of its potential towards industrial applications (i.e., development of food or personal care products), pisciculture or zootechny, phytoremediation and other environmental protection applications, or in the nanotechnology area (materials phytosynthesis). The present work constitutes not only a brief presentation of this plant's present and potential applications, but also an invitation to research groups world-wide to explore the available vegetal resources.

Animal Models of Diabetes-Associated Renal Injury

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the main factor leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and subsequent morbidity and mortality. Importantly, the prevalence of DN is continuously increasing in developed countries. Many rodent models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes have been established to elucidate the pathogenesis of diabetes and examine novel therapies against DN. These models are developed by chemical, surgical, genetic, drug, and diet/nutrition interventions or combination of two or more methods. The main characteristics of DN including a decrease in renal function, albuminuria and mesangiolysis, mesangial expansion, and nodular glomerulosclerosis should be exhibited by an animal model of DN. However, a rodent model possessing all of the abovementioned features of human DN has not yet been developed. Furthermore, mice of different genetic backgrounds and strains show different levels of susceptibility to DN with respect to albuminuria and development of glomerular and tubulointerstitial lesions. Therefore, the type of diabetes, development of nephropathy, duration of the study, cost of maintaining and breeding, and animals' mortality rate are important factors that might be affected by the type of DN model. In this review, we discuss the pros and cons of different rodent models of diabetes that are being used to study DN.