INFLUENCE OF ENALAPRIL ON EXPERIMENTAL CYCLOSPORINE-A NEPHROTOXICITY

The purpose of this study was to investigate if enalapril could be adm inistered with cyclosporin A (CyA) to reduce its nephrotoxicity. Sixty rats were divided into five groups: group I, Control group; group II, rats treated with oral enalapril; group III, rats treated with CyA; g roup IV, rats treated with CyA and enalapril; group V, rats treated wi th enalapril before the CYA therapy. At the end of the therapy mean se rum creatinine concentrations were not statistically different between the groups (P>0.05), in groups treated with CyA there were no statist ically significant differences between mean CyA levels (P>0.05), and m ean blood urea nitrogen levels of the groups treated with CYA were sig nificantly elevated (P<0.05) compared with groups not treated with CyA . Morphologically acute CyA nephrotoxicity was evaluated by the follow ing features: (1) tubular vacuolization, (2) tubular necrosis, (3) tub ular microcalcification, and (4) peritubular capillary congestion. The se lesions were scored semiquantitatively on a scale from 0 to 4+. The most common tubular pathology was tubular vacuolization, which was mo re severe in groups III and IV. Tubular necrosis was most severe in gr oup III. In conclusion, enalapril seems to suppress the severest form of CyA nephrotoxicity, namely tubular necrosis, if administered prior to CyA treatment.