Can adalimumab prevent from acute effects of lipopolysaccharide induced renal injury in rats?

Purpose: Lipopolysaccharides is well-known in the acute renal injury process. It causes widespread activation of inflammatory cascades. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (Il)-6 are essential proinflammatory cytokines that can induce the production of other cytokines in host response. Adalimumab suppresses TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. We aimed to evaluate whether adalimumab would prevent the toxicity of lipopolysaccharide on the rat renal tissue.

Methods: Adult female Wistar rats were divided into four groups. To the control group, only intraperitoneal saline injection procedure was carried out. For adalimumab group, adalimumab was injected at a dose for two days. For lipopolysaccharide group, animals were injected with lipopolysaccharide (a dose). For lipopolysaccharide-adalimumab group, animals were given adalimumab treatment before the injection of lipopolysaccharide. Histopathological changes and immunohistochemical analysis for TNF-α and IL-6 were determined.

Results: The pathological changes and immunohistochemical staining for TNF-α or IL-6 were similar for control and adalimumab groups (p > 0.05). The lipopolysaccharide group had significantly higher distorted features in the renal tissues (p < 0.001), and also significantly prominent immunohistochemical staining for TNF-α or IL-6 (0.003), compared to the control group. No severe pathological feature was detected in the lipopolysaccharide-adalimumab group, but moderate necrosis was found in all cases (p = 0.003). TNF-α staining and IL-6 staining in the lipopolysaccharide group was found to significantly prominent compared to lipopolysaccharide-adalimumab group (p = 0.013).

Conclusions: Because of its anti-inflammatory property, adalimumab pretreatment may have protective effects on experimental kidney injury. Adalimumab could be considered as a protective agent to acute effects of lipopolysaccharide induced renal injury.