Effects of Pycnogenol on cisplatin-induced optic nerve injury: an experimental study

Aim: To determine the effects of Pycnogenol on cisplatin-induced optic nerve damage. Material and method: Totally 18 albino Wistar male rats were assigned into three groups, with six rats in each group as follows: healthy controls (HC group), only cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg) administered group (CIS group) and Pycnogenol (40 mg/kg)+cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg) administered group (PYC group). We analyzed the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress, total glutathione (tGSH) as a marker of antioxidant status, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) as inflammatory markers, total oxidative status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) on eye tissue together with histopathological evaluation of optic nerve in an experimental model. Results: In CIS group MDA, TOS, TNF-alpha and NF-kappa B levels were statistically significantly higher (p<0.001) than HC group while tGSH and TAS levels were significantly lower (p<0.001). On the other hand, in PYC group MDA, TOS, TNF-alpha and NF-kappa B levels were statistically significantly lower (p<0.001) than CIS group while tGSH and TAS levels were significantly higher (p<0.001). Conclusion: Pycnogenol pretreatment was highly effective in preventing augmentation of cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in eye tissue.