The phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor tadalafil has renoprotective effects in a rat model of chronic kidney disease

Unraveling the Nephroprotective Potential of Papaverine against Cisplatin Toxicity through Mitigating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: Insights from In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Investigations

Cisplatin is a potent compound in anti-tumor chemotherapy; however, its clinical utility is hampered by dose-limiting nephrotoxicity. This study investigated whether papaverine could mitigate cisplatin-induced kidney damage while preserving its chemotherapeutic efficacy. Integrative bioinformatics analysis predicted papaverine modulation of the mechanistic pathways related to cisplatin renal toxicity; notably, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) signaling. We validated protective effects in normal kidney cells without interfering with cisplatin cytotoxicity on a cancer cell line. Concurrent in vivo administration of papaverine alongside cisplatin in rats prevented elevations in nephrotoxicity markers, including serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and renal oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and pro-inflammatory cytokines), as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Papaverine also reduced apoptosis markers such as Bcl2 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and histological damage. In addition, it upregulates antioxidant enzymes like catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) while boosting anti-inflammatory signaling interleukin-10 (IL-10). These effects were underlined by the ability of Papaverine to downregulate MAPK-1 expression. Overall, these findings show papaverine could protect against cisplatin kidney damage without reducing its cytotoxic activity. Further research would allow the transition of these results to clinical practice.

Effects of furosemide and tadalafil in both conventional and nanoforms against adenine-induced chronic renal failure in rats

BACKGROUND

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a progressive loss of renal function that lead to reduced sodium filtration and inappropriate suppression of tubular reabsorption that ultimately leads to volume expansion. The aim of this study was to study the efficacy of furosemide and tadalafil nanoforms compared to conventional forms against adenine-induced CRF rat-model.

METHODS

Addition of 0.75% adenine to the diet of rats for 4 weeks gained general acceptance as a model to study kidney damage as this intervention mimicked most of the structural and functional changes seen in human chronic kidney disease Urine analysis, histopathological changes and immunohistochemical expression of caspase-3 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in renal tissues were performed.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the combination of tadalafil and furosemide using conventional and nanoparticle formulations had better renoprotective effect than individual drugs. This was demonstrated by improvement of urinary, serum and renal tissue markers as indicative of organ damage. This was also reflected on the reduction of tubular expression of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Immunohistochemical studies showed that the deteriorated renal cellular changes indicated by increased expression of caspase-3 and IL-1β were greatly improved by the combined treatment particularly with the nanoforms.

CONCLUSIONS

The nanoforms of both furosemide and tadalafil had greater renopreventive effects compared with conventional forms against adenine-induced CRF in rats.

Tadalafil against hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress; an experimental study

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of tadalafil on reactive oxygen species induced by a hyperoxia model in rats, both in terms of enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide (NO), and its pathological effects on the corpus cavernosum. Overall, 24 rats were divided into three groups. The control group (eight rats) was not exposed to any intervention. The second group (eight rats), was exposed to hyperoxia in a hyperoxia cabinet for 8 h a day for 10 days. The third group (eight rats) was exposed to hyperoxia the same as in the second group, tadalafil at a dose of 10 mg/kg was given orally as a dissolved form in water in the amount of 10-12 ml/100 g/day to the rats placed in separate cages having removed from the hyperoxia cabin. SOD levels differ enough to create a difference, but there was no significant difference in terms of NO levels. The SOD level was highest in hyperoxia conditions and lowest in the group given tadalafil. While corpus cavernosum hyperemia was found to be higher statistically in the experimental groups than in the control group, we found that the severity of hyperemia was less in the group given tadalafil. The corpus cavernosum was found to be statistically more dilated in the experimental groups than in the control group. We determined that hyperoxia status increased the level of SOD and this level decreased with tadalafil administration, which would make a statistical difference.

Influence of anticancer agents on sexual function: an in Vivo study based on the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System

Background

Patients with cancer are treated with chemotherapeutics that cause adverse effects, including erectile dysfunction (ED).

Objectives

We investigated erectile function in rats after the administration of anticancer agents based on data retrieved through mining of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database.

Materials and methods

The statistical signal strength for the association between anticancer drugs and ED was calculated using the reporting odds ratio (ROR). A drug–event combination was detected when the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the ROR exceeded 1.00. Rats were administered anticancer agents detected in the FDA AERS analysis. Erectile function was assessed using intracavernous pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) analysis after electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve. Statistical significance was determined using Welch's t‐test or two‐way ANOVA.

Results

Melphalan (L‐PAM; ROR = 4.72, 95% CI = 2.78–8.00), vincristine (VCR; ROR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.54–3.97), docetaxel (DTX; ROR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.28–3.95), methotrexate (MTX; ROR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.39–2.75), and doxorubicin (DOX; ROR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.07–3.19) enhanced ED risk. L‐PAM and MTX decreased the ICP/MAP ratio 1 week after administration. VCR and DOX decreased erectile function 4 weeks after administration. DTX decreased erectile function at all assessed time points.

Discussion and conclusion

Certain anticancer agents should be considered risk factors for ED.

Our results provide possible treatment strategies for maintaining erectile function in cancer survivors, including careful erectile function monitoring after treatment.

The phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor tadalafil has renoprotective effects in a rat model of chronic kidney disease

Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors are widely used to treat erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Recent studies have indicated the renoprotective effects of this class of compounds. Whether renoprotection depends on blood pressure reduction remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the renoprotective effects of the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor, tadalafil, in a rat model of high-salt induced kidney injury with hypertension. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a normal diet, high-salt (8% sodium chloride) diet, or high-salt diet with oral administration of either low- or high-dose tadalafil (1 and 10 mg kg-1  day-1 , respectively). Serum creatinine, urinary protein, and blood pressure were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks, at which point the rats were examined for glomerular injury and fibrosis. PAI1 mRNA levels were also evaluated. After 8 weeks, blood pressure, serum creatinine, and urinary protein levels were significantly higher in the high-salt group than those in the normal-salt group. Serum creatinine and urinary protein were significantly lower in both tadalafil groups than those in the high-salt group, while only high-dose tadalafil affected blood pressure. In addition, glomerulosclerosis and α-smooth muscle actin expression significantly decreased in both tadalafil treatment groups. PAI1 mRNA increased significantly in the high-salt group but decreased in both tadalafil-treated groups. Our results indicated that both low- and high-dose tadalafil prevented fibrosis and glomerular injury in a chronic kidney disease rat model. Mechanistically, these effects may be associated with PAI1 expression and glomerular structure protection.