Bilberry: Chemical Profiling, in Vitro and in Vivo Antioxidant Activity and Nephroprotective Effect against Gentamicin Toxicity in Rats

We assessed possible protective effect of bilberry diet in rat model of nephrotoxicity. In vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity and chemical profiling of this functional food was performed. With aid of HPLC-DAD and spectrophotometric method, 15 individual anthocyanins were quantified alongside total tannin, phenylpropanoid, and anthocyanin content. The study was conducted on four groups of rats: control, treated with only gentamicin, treated with only bilberry, and treated with both gentamicin and bilberry. Kidney function was evaluated by tracking urea and creatinine. Morphology of renal tissue and its changes were recorded pathohistologically and quantified morphometrically. Bilberry (100 mg/kg daily) showed strong nephroprotective effect against gentamicin toxicity in rats (as shown through MDA, AOPP, and catalase levels). In conclusion, the demonstrated protective activity of bilberry extract matched well with the assessed in vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity as well as with its polyphenolic content, particularly with high anthocyanin levels. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.