Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
November 05, 2026
Plant Extract Shows Promise in Protecting Kidneys During Chemotherapy
TLDR
- Phyllanthus urinaria extract could offer a first-mover advantage in developing a nephroprotective adjunct for cisplatin, a market with few preventive options.
- In mice, oral PU at 250 mg/kg on days 0–2 reduced BUN, creatinine, NGAL, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis markers, and oxidative stress via NRF2/NQO1.
- This preclinical study suggests a natural extract might one day protect kidney function in cisplatin-treated patients, reducing suffering and treatment interruptions.
- A mouse study found that Phyllanthus urinaria extract protected kidneys from cisplatin damage by calming inflammation, reducing apoptosis, and boosting antioxidant defenses.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because cisplatin is a cornerstone chemotherapy for many cancers, but its use is limited by kidney toxicity, which affects nearly 30% of patients and often forces treatment interruptions. An effective nephroprotective adjunct could allow patients to receive full chemotherapy doses without compromising kidney function, potentially improving cancer outcomes. While this study is preclinical, it highlights a promising natural product strategy and underscores the need for further research to translate these findings into clinical practice. For patients and clinicians, it signals hope for safer chemotherapy regimens, but also a reminder that more evidence is needed before <em>Phyllanthus urinaria</em> can be considered a viable protective agent.
Summary
Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and affiliated laboratories in Chongqing, China, have published preclinical findings suggesting that an aqueous extract of Phyllanthus urinaria L (PU) may protect against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). The study, reported in Pediatric Discovery (DOI: 10.1002/pdi3.70000), tested PU in 24 male C57BL/6 mice. Cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy drug, causes dose-limiting nephrotoxicity by accumulating in renal tubular epithelial cells and triggering inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress, leading to AKI in nearly 30% of recipients. Current management relies heavily on renal replacement therapy due to a lack of effective preventive medicines.
In the experiment, mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin at 20 mg/kg, with the treatment group also receiving PU at 250 mg/kg by oral gavage on days 0–2. PU treatment significantly lowered blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr), preserved renal tubule structure, and reduced neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). It also suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (Il1b, Il6, Tnf), rebalanced apoptosis-related proteins (lowering Bax and cleaved caspase-3 while raising Bcl-2), and restored antioxidant defenses (reducing MDA, increasing SOD activity, and restoring NRF2 and NQO1 expression). Histology showed more organized tubules in the PU group compared to cisplatin-only mice.
The authors emphasize that the findings provide a multi-pathway rationale for PU in cisplatin-induced AKI, linking it to anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant actions. However, they caution that the mouse data are early and not a clinical recommendation. Next steps include identifying active compounds, optimizing dosing, testing safety and efficacy in clinically relevant models, and determining whether PU interferes with cisplatin's anticancer activity. The study offers a preclinical lead for further development as a supportive therapy for cisplatin-associated kidney injury.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Plant Extract Shows Promise in Protecting Kidneys During Chemotherapy
