Cisplatin is an effective antineoplastic agent widely used in the treatment of solid tumors, however, it induces nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased antioxidant system defense in kidney. Isoliquiritigenin (IsoLQ) is a chalcone, which is characterized by its antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. Herein, we investigated the protective effect of IsoLQ on LLC-PK1 proximal tubular cells against cisplatin-induced death and its effect on the antineoplastic activity of cisplatin on bladder cancer T24 cell line. It was found that pretreatment with IsoLQ attenuates cisplatin-induced cell death, ROS production, and activation of caspase-3. IsoLQ also induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression that may be associated with nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation. The protective effect of IsoLQ was abrogated by tin mesoporphyrin (SnMP), an HO inhibitor. Further, bilirubin and carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 also showed a protective effect against cisplatin-induced cell death. In addition, IsoLQ induced in a dose-dependent way, death of T24 cells and exacerbated cisplatin-induced cell death. These results suggest that IsoLQ has a protective effect on cisplatin-induced toxicity in LLC-PK1 cells, in part through induction of HO-1, without interfering with the antineoplastic activity of this agent in T24 cells.
Keywords: Antioxidants; Cisplatin; Heme oxygenase-1; Isoliquiritigenin; Nephrotoxicity.
Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.