Melatonin treatment against remote organ injury induced by renal ischemia reperfusion injury in diabetes mellitus

Oxidative stress may have a role in liver damage after acute renal injury due to various reasons such as ischemia reperfusion (IR). Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important disease for kidneys and may cause nephropathy as a long term complication. The aim of this study was to investigate protective effect of melatonin, a potent antioxidant, against distant organ injury on liver induced by renal IR in rats with or without DM. The rats were divided into six groups: control (n=7), DM (n=5), IR (n=7), DM+IR (n=7), melatonin+IR (Mel+IR) (melatonin, 4 mg/kg during 15 days) (n=7), and Mel+DM+IR groups (n=7). Diabetes developed 3 days after single i.p. dose of 45 mg/kg streptozotocin. After 15 day, the left renal artery was occluded for 30 min followed 24 h of reperfusion in IR performed groups. DM did not alter oxidative parameters alone in liver tissue. The levels of malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl and nitric oxide with activities of xanthine oxidase and myeloperoxidase were increased in liver tissues of diabetic and non-diabetic IR groups. Nitric oxide level in DM was higher than control. The activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were increased in IR groups in comparison with control and DM. ALT and AST levels were higher in IR and DM+IR groups than control and DM. Melatonin treatment reversed all these oxidant and antioxidant parameters to control values as well as serum liver enzymes. We concluded that renal IR may affect distant organs such as liver and oxidative stress may play role on this injury, but DM has not an effect on kidney induced distant organ injury via oxidant stress. Also, it was concluded that melatonin treatment may prevent liver oxidant stress induced by distant injury of kidney IR.