RESUMEN
This work investigated the capacity of (-)-epicatechin to prevent the renal damage induced by LPS administration in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed for 4 days a diet without or with supplementation with (-)-epicatechin (80mg/kg BW/d), and subsequently i.p. injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Six hours after injection, LPS-treated rats exhibited increased plasma creatinine and urea levels as indicators of impaired renal function. The renal cortex of the LPS-treated rats showed: i) increased expression of inflammatory molecules (TNF-α, iNOS and IL-6); ii) activation of several steps of NF-κB pathway; iii) overexpression of TLR4, and iv) higher superoxide anion production and lipid peroxidation index in association with increased levels of gp91phox and p47phox (NOX2) and NOX4. Pretreatment with dietary (-)-epicatechin prevented the adverse effects of LPS challenge essentially by inhibiting TLR4 upregulation and NOX activation and the consequent downstream events, e.g. NF-kB activation.