Evaluation of effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester on acute potassium dichromate toxicity and genotoxicity in rats

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the possible protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on potassium dichromate (K 2 Cr 2 O 7 )-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity. Methods: A total of 40 Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups: control, K 2 Cr 2 O 7 (K 2 Cr 2 O 7 15 mg/kg, one dose, i.p.), K 2 Cr 2 O 7 + melatonin, K 2 Cr 2 O 7 + CAPE, and K 2 Cr 2 O 7 + melatonin + CAPE. Urine and blood samples were collected from rats before scarification. One kidney was collected for histopathological studies, and the other was stored at −80°C for further determination of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR) levels with spectrophotometric method. Comet assay was used to evaluate the genotoxicity. Results: We observed a significant amelioration in genotoxicity by melatonin and simultaneous melatonin + CAPE treatment compared to K 2 Cr 2 O 7 group (p 1 , p 2 2 Cr 2 O 7 applied group was treated with melatonin and CAPE, neither melatonin nor CAPE made any changes in kidney GSH, GST, SOD, and MDA levels ( P > 0.05). We noted that treatment with CAPE and melatonin + CAPE together caused a significant decrease in renal tissue damage, an upregulation in the kidney CAT levels ( P 2 Cr 2 O 7 group. Conclusion: Our results revealed, CAPE and melatonin may have protective effects on K 2 Cr 2 O 7 induced nephrotoxicity and cellular damage in rats.