Mitigating effect of naringenin on potassium bromate-induced nephrotoxicity in vivo

The usage of potassium bromate (PB) in various consumer items and food and chemical industries poses a serious health risk like nephrotoxicity along with other toxic abuses. The compound elicits mild to severe toxic insults in a dose-dependent way in vivo and can even trigger carcinogenesis if exposed for long. This investigation ascertains the protective effect of naringenin (NIR), a polyphenol, in the PB-challenged rats. The animals were categorized into five treatment groups: Group I (control), and Groups II and III were treated with PB alone (100 mg/kg) and NIR alone (20 mg/kg), respectively. The groups- IV and V were administered with NIR at 20 and 40 mg/kg in the PB-exposed rats. The animals were killed to get their kidney and blood samples for biochemical, molecular, and histological alaysis. The group II exhibited an enhanced level of renal function and toxicity markers in serum, validating nephrotoxicity. Further, dysregulated redox parameters (GSH and MDA) and suppressed antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) consolidated the same. Group III showed negligible toxicity, with most of the parameters' values close to the control. Intriguingly, groups- IV and V bestowed remarkable alleviation in the PB-induced nephrotoxicity in a dose -dependent way. In addition, the comet assay and histological evaluation further confirmed these findings. The study concludes that NIR effectively protects against PB-induced nephrotoxicity in rats attributed by regulating oxidative stress and promoting structural restoration at both macromolecular and cellular levels. Therefore, NIR is a suitable candidate for use in consumer products containing PB or as a treatment to alleviate nephrotoxicity caused by PB or similar compounds.