Synergistic effect of arginine and Lactobacillus plantarum against potassium dichromate induced-acute liver and kidney injury in rats: Role of iNOS and TLR ۴/ NF-κB signaling pathways

Objective(s): Our study was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effect of arginine (ARG) and Lactobacillus plantarum against potassium dichromate (K۲Cr۲O۷) induced-acute hepatic and kidney injury.Materials and Methods: Fifty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. The control group received distilled water. The potassium dichromate group (PDC) received a single dose of PDC (۲۰ mg/kg; SC). The arginine group (ARG) and Lactobacillus plantarum group received either daily doses of ARG (۱۰۰ mg/kg, PO) or L. plantarum (۱۰۹ CFU/ml, PO) for ۱۴ days. The combination group (ARG+L. plantarum) received daily doses of ARG (۱۰۰ mg/kg) with L. plantarum (۱۰۹ CFU/ml), orally for ۱۴ days, before induction of acute liver and kidney injury. Forty eight hours after the last dose of PDC, serum biochemical indices, oxidative stress biomarkers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis were evaluated.Results: Combining ARG with L. plantarum restored the levels of serum hepatic & kidney enzymes, hepatic & renal oxidative stress biomarkers, and TLR ۴/ NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, they succeeded in decreasing the expression of iNOS and ameliorate the hepatic and renal markers of apoptosis: Caspase-۳, Bax, and Bcl۲.Conclusion: This study depicts that combining ARG with L. plantarum exerted a new bacteriotherapy against hepatic and renal injury caused by PDC.

Keywords:

ARG , Caspase-۳ , INOS , Lactobacillus plantarum , PDC , TLR ۴/ NF-κB signaling-pathway