Haemato-Biochemical Alterations following Doxorubicin Induced Cardio-Renal Toxicity and Amelioration by Hesperidin in Male Wistar Rats

Doxorubicin is an effective anthracycline chemotherapeutic agent, but its clinical use is limited by dose dependent toxicity involving multiple organs, particularly the heart and kidneys. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of doxorubicin on clinical manifestations, feed intake, body weight, organ index, haematological and serum biochemical parameters in Wistar rats and to assess the ameliorative potential of hesperidin in comparison with benazepril. Forty rats were randomly allocated into five groups of eight animals each. Group I served as control and received 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose orally daily for 28 days. Groups II to V received doxorubicin intraperitoneally at 2.5 mg/kg body weight once weekly for four weeks. Group III additionally received benazepril at 10 mg/ kg/bw orally, while Groups IV and V received hesperidin orally at 100 mg/kg/bw and 200 mg/kg/bw body weight, respectively, daily for 28 days. Doxorubicin treated rats exhibited diarrhoea, lethargy, reduced locomotor activity, scruffy fur, chromodacryorrhoea, red urine, decreased feed intake, reduced terminal body weight, increased relative heart and kidney weights, anaemia, leukopenia, lymphopenia and significant increase in serum cholesterol, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Hesperidin ameliorated these alterations in a dose dependent manner, with the higher dose showing better protective efficacy. These findings indicate that hesperidin exerts substantial ameliorative effects against doxorubicin induced cardio-renal toxicity in Wistar rats.