Investigating the Protective Effect of Ellagic Acid on Cholemic Nephropathy in Cholestatic Rats

Background: Cholemic nephropathy (CN), a renal dysfunction caused by bile acids, is a severe complication of chronic liver damage and bile duct ligation (BDL), which may lead to complete kidney failure. Objectives: This study investigated the protective effect of ellagic acid on CN in cholestatic rats. Methods: Sixty male Wistar rats weighing about 180 - 200 g were randomly divided into 6 groups for in vivo investigation. The rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10. Cholestasis was induced in rats by closing the bile ducts; then, the animals were treated with different doses of ellagic acid (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg). Then, the induction effect of cholestasis and the protective effects of ellagic acid on serum and urinary factors, oxidative stress indices, and histopathological changes in liver and kidney tissue were investigated. Results: Bile duct ligation in rats led to an increase in serum and urinary factors. It was also associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) oxide form, decrease in antioxidant systems, GSH and severe histopathological changes, and fibrosis of the liver and kidney tissues. Another finding of this research was the beneficial effect of ellagic acid in improving serum and urinary factors, oxidative stress indices, and histopathological changes. Conclusions: Due to its antioxidant properties, ellagic acid can potentially serve as a novel therapeutic approach for treating kidney damage caused by increased serum levels of bile acids.