Frankincense administration antagonizes Adenine-induced chronic renal failure in rats‏

Background: Chronic renal failure (CRF) treatment through kidney
transplantation or dialysis is restricted because of economic and medical
resources deficiency. Thus, demand for using dietary supplements that
can delete or ameliorate uremia or even to delay the need for dialysis is
rising. Objectives: This study is the first one conducted to evaluate the
efficacy of frankincense aqueous extract on CRF induced by adenine in
rats. Materials and Methods: Forty male Sprague‑Dawley rats were
divided into four equal groups: control, frankincense, adenine, and
frankincense + adenine. Kidney function tests, liver function tests,
minerals’ levels, antioxidant status, and histopathological alterations
were investigated. Results: Results showed significant increases
in relative kidney weight, serum level of urea, creatinine, blood urea
nitrogen (BUN), uric acid, phosphorous, cholesterol, total bilirubin,
alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in
adenine group, as well as significant decreases in body weight, calcium,
total protein, and albumin. Significant elevation was also demonstrated
in lipid peroxidation marker associated with depletion in activities of
superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in tissues of kidney and liver.
In addition, there were marked histopathological changes of kidney and
liver. Conclusion: Study results demonstrated that co‑administration of
frankincense aqueous extract with adenine is an effective way to reduce
the signs of adenine‑induced CRF and have returned them to almost
completely normal levels.