Protective Effects of TRPV1 Agonist Capsaicin in Sepsis‐Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Rats

Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) channels have been shown to be present in many tissues, including the kidney. Previous studies have reported that TRPV1 activation has anti-inflammatory and renoprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of TRPV1 agonist capsaicin on acute kidney injury (AKI) in a rat sepsis model induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Rats were divided into control, CLP and treatment groups in which 3 different doses of capsaicin (2, 6 and 30 mg/kg) were administered with CLP administration. Kidney tissues and sera from animals 24 h after CLP were analyzed. Histopathological examinations have shown that kidney damage occurs due to sepsis. TLR4/NF-κB activity, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), caspase-3, caspase-8 and malondialdehyde levels increased in renal tissue due to sepsis. Serum levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and renal damage biomarkers (BUN, CRE, IL-18 and NGAL) increased due to sepsis. Capsaicin administration dose-dependently reversed sepsis-induced pathological changes in the kidney and serum. Our findings suggest that the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin has renoprotective effects in sepsis-induced AKI by reducing inflammation, oxidative damage and apoptosis. TRPV1 activation may be a promising therapeutic strategy to ameliorate sepsis-induced kidney and other organ damage.