Introduction: Sepsis is a serious complaint caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. It is one of the most common causes of admission to intensive care units. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most frequent complication of sepsis in critically ill patients and often requires renal replacement therapy. Despite decades of sepsis research, no specific therapies for sepsis emerged. Morin is a flavonoid that is abundant in the plants of the Moraceae famil, and has protective effect against many diseases that are mostly affected by inflammation and overproduction of oxidative stress, including a range of nephrotoxicity models rather than septic-induced AKI.
Aim of the Study: Thus, the present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of morin on the survival rate, clinical symptoms, renal histological alterations, and the immunoreactivity of the cell survival marker BCl2 in septic-induced AKI.
Methods: sepsis-induced AKI was induced in mice by a single intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS;5mg/kg). Treatment with morin (50 mg/kg bw) started 5 hours after LPS challenge, then for 2 more days.
Results: The results showed that LPS-injected mice had low survival rate (44% vs 100% in normal control) and showed several clinical signs including;hypoactivity, lethargy, loss of appetite, ruffled fur, high breathing rate, hind limb paralysis, and closed eyes. On the other hand, morin-treated animals showed significantly higher survival rate than that of the septic control group (90% vs 44%), recovery from the signs of sepsis, enhancement of the histology of kidney. In addition, morin decreased the immunoreactivity of the cell surviving marker BCl2.
Conclusion: these findings indicate that morin has a notable therapeutic effect against sepsis-associated AKI and may be a useful therapeutic option for increasing the survival rates of septic patients or even for preventing its associated renal complications.