Protective effect of resveratrol on the kidney in rats under immunosuppression with tacrolimus

Background/Aim: Tacrolimus is a commonly used agent for immunosuppression in organ transplantation with known nephrotoxic effects. We think that kidney-sparing therapy should be added to current treatment protocols. We aimed to observe the protective effect of resveratrol (RSV) against the adverse effects of tacrolimus (TAC) on rat kidneys. Methods: Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into the following three groups of eight rats each: Control, TAC, and RSV. The control group was not treated in any way. Tacrolimus was administered to the TAC group. In addition to tacrolimus use, resveratrol was administered to the RSV group. At the end of the experiment, one kidney was used for histopathological examination and the other, for biochemical examination. Results were analyzed statistically. Results: IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-Alpha levels in the control group were significantly lower than those in TAC and RSV groups (IL-1; P<0.001, P<0.001, IL-6; P<0.001 P=0.002, TNF-Alpha; P<0.001, P<0.001), and those in the RSV group were significantly lower than those in the TAC group (IL-1: P=0.032, IL-6: P=0.001 TNF-Alpha: P=0.026). TAS levels of the control group were significantly higher than those of the TAC group (P=0.030). TOS and OSI levels of the control group were significantly lower than those of the TAC and RSV groups (TOS: P=0.002, P=0.012, OSI: P=0.001, P=0.004). In histopathological evaluation, the TAC group showed the highest levels of fibrosis. The differences between the control and TAC groups and the TAC and RSV groups were statistically significant (P=0.003, P=0.003). Conclusion: Resveratrol has a protective effect against the adverse effects of tacrolimus on the kidney, which may be because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.