Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Rosuvastatin on Acute Kidney Injury Induced by Contrast Media in Rats

OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect and mechanism of rosuvastatin on acute renal injury induced by a nonionic hypotonic contrast medium in rats. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy adult SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group (NC); contrast medium control group (CM); and rosuvastatin intervention group (RI). The RI group was intragastrically administered with a 10 mg/kg of rosuvastatin 12 h prior to the contrast exposure. All rats in CM and RI groups were inoculated with 10 mL/kg of chemical (IV) while the same volume of saline for the NC group. At 24 h and 72 h posttreatments, pathomorphological changes of renal tubules were documented, respectively, and several biochemical indicators were tested to assess renal injury of experimental rats. RESULTS: Compared with the CM group, rats in the RI group showed significantly reduced injury of kidneys and decreased levels of biochemical indicators such as blood Scr, blood Cys-C, urine NAG, urine α1-MG, and urine mALB. The serum Hs-CRP in the CM group increased significantly from 24 h to 72 h (p < 0.05), but this was not observed in the rats of the RI group. In addition, SOD activity in the RI group was significantly increased (p < 0.01) while SOD activity in renal tissue decreased significantly with time in the CM group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Short-term intervention with rosuvastatin can lead to reduced kidney damage associated with the contrast agent by reducing the levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress. Thus, rosuvastatin intervention has a protective effect on rats from contrast-induced nephropathy.