Effects of fish oil and sunflower oil supplementations on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rat.

1. Nephrotoxicity was induced in rats by intramuscular administration of gentamicin (80 mg k-1 d-1) for 6 days. 2. Oral supplementation with fish oil (5 ml kg-1 d-1), for 2 weeks prior to and during gentamicin exposure, markedly ameliorated the drug-induced nephrotoxicity. The beneficial effects of oil were evidenced by significantly reduced serum creatinine and urea concentrations, increased renal cortical alkaline phosphatase activity and improved renal tubular histology, compared with the non oil-treated animals, receiving gentamicin. 3. Similar supplementation with sunflower oil, rich in omega-6 fatty acids, failed to reverse any of the parameters of nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin. 4. Hypercholesterolaemia and reduced cortical GSH associated with gentamicin nephrotoxicity were both normalised by supplementation with fish oil, but not by sunflower oil. 5. The beneficial effects of fish oil on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity were not related to the extent of uptake and accumulation of the drug by the kidney.