BENEFICIAL-EFFECTS OF ALLOPURINOL ON GLUTATHIONE LEVELS AND GLUTATHIONE-PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY IN RAT ISCHEMIC ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE

The protective effect of allopurinol, an inhibitor of the enzyme, xant hine oxidase, against the renal ischaemia-reperfusion of the rat was i nvestigated. Rats were subjected to renal ischaemia by clamping of the left renal artery and vein for 45 min, and were then reperfused for 2 4 h; these animals were randomized to receive either saline (n = 10) o r allopurinol (n = 10) at a dose of 50 mg/kg bolus intraperitoneally 5 min before reperfusion. The control group comprised seven healthy rat s not exposed to ischaemia or reperfusion. The blood urea nitrogen and plasma creatinine levels were increased in the allopurinol group, but the increase was less than that in the placebo group, compared with t he controls. The kidney glutathione level was significantly reduced in the placebo group but not in the allopurinol group compared with the controls. The glutathione peroxidase activity in the kidney tissues wa s reduced more than two-fold in the placebo group compared with the co ntrols, but the reduction in glutathione peroxidase was considerably l ess in the allopurinol group. Renal tissue lactate dehydrogenase, aspa rtate amino-transferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosp hatase activities were reduced almost two-fold in the placebo group, b ut allopurinol treatment maintained these enzyme activities close to t he control activities. These results provide evidence that allopurinol treatment may have beneficial effects on antioxidant defences against ischaemia-reperfusion injury of rat kidneys.