Apigenin and kaempferol as novel renoprotective agent against cisplatin-induced toxicity: an in vitro study

Cisplatin is one of the highly consumed and potent antineoplastic drugs. However, its side effects in normal tissues, notably nephrotoxicity, is a major stumbling block and dose-limiting factor. Renoprotective approaches are being developed, however, the protective benefits are usually only partial implying the need for combinatorial strategies. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the nephroprotective efficacy of apigenin and kaempferol as dietary supplements against cisplatin-induced renal injury using human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells as our in vitro model. Our findings from MTT data, morphology studies, comet and ROS analysis suggest that CIS 11.36 µM + API 12.5 µg/mL and CIS 11.36 µM + KMP 25 µg/mL protects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Results of western blot analysis further suggest the involvement of NGAL in the API and KMP mediated nephroprotection. Collectively, our studies suggest that API and KMP are promising candidates to be further developed as renoprotective agents against cisplatin-induced toxicity.