Ameliorative Effects of Alpha-tocopherol in Carboplatin Induced Toxicity on Histomorphology of Renal Cortex in Rats

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the histomorphological response of alpha-tocopherol co-administration with carboplatin chemotherapy. STUDY DESIGN: A laboratory-based experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: Anatomy Department, Army Medical College / National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January to December 2021. METHODOLOGY: Thirty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups of ten rats each. Control group A received normal diet and water, experimental group B was administered single injection of carboplatin 2.5 mg/Kg intraperitoneally; and experimental group C along with carboplatin injection also received alpha-tocopherol 62.7 mg/Kg daily. At the end of 12 weeks, the euthanasia of animals was done and kidneys were dissected out. Right-sided kidneys were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin. Micrometry was done to measure the diameters of renal cortical tubules and renal corpuscles. RESULTS: The proximal and distal tubular and luminal diameter and transvertical diameter of renal corpuscle were increased in group B as compared to control group A. In group C, the proximal and distal tubular diameters were 5.175 ± 0.39 µm and 3.88 ± 0.364 µm, respectively; proximal and distal luminal diameters were 2.67 ± 0.35 µm and 1.64 ± 0.24 µm, respectively and transvertical diameter of renal corpuscle was 12.16 ± 0.870 µm. These values were less than experimental group B and closer to that of control group A. CONCLUSION: Renal microscopic parameters showed improvement in the group administered with alpha-tocopherol. Therefore, alpha-tocopherol has ameliorative effects on carboplatin-induced renal damage.