EXPERIMENTAL MODELS AND METHODS FOR NEPHROPROTECTIVE AC-TIVITY STUDIES– AN OVERVIEW

Evidence for the safety of any new drug through pre-clinical trial is mandatory before human trials. Toxicity studies are among pre-clinical trials that ensure the drug has no acute/sub-acute or chronic toxic effect on any organ/tissue/system. On the other hand, if a drug or combination is to be used to treat any organ damage, it must be tested for its organ protective activity in animals. Nephroprotective activity studies provide evidence that the trial drug has a protective/curative effect on the kidney; hence, it can be used as a treatment for renal diseases. In practice, Wister albino rats are used as an animal model where the drug is tested for its nephroprotective activity against gentamycin-induced acute toxicity and cisplatin-induced chronic toxicity. If the test drug shows better results in serum markers and histopathological tests, it is said to have nephroprotective activity.