Nephroprotective and antioxidant effect of green tea against nicotine-induced nephrotoxicity - GreenMedInfo Summary

Nicotine (NT) is a potential inducer of oxidative stress, through which it can damage numerous biological molecules. Natural antioxidants that prevent or slow the progression and severity of nicotine toxicity may have a significant health impact. The purpose of this study, conducted on Wistar rats, was to evaluate the beneficial effects of green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract on nicotine treatment induced damage on kidney. Our results showed that nicotine significantly (p<0.01) increased serum and kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), the serum contents of urea, creatinine and uric acid. In addition, nicotine intoxication significantly (p<0.01) decreased the vitamin E and C levels in serum and kidney tissue as well as the activities of SOD, CAT and GPx. Interestingly, animals that were pretreated with green tea, prior to nicotine-administration, showed a significant nephroprotection, revealed by a significant reduction-induced oxidative damage for all tested markers. The nephroprotective activity of green tea is mediated, at least in part, by the antioxidant effect of its constituents.