Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major factor responsible for acute renal failure (ARF). ARF is a common clinical morbidity, which can occur as a primary condition, or in association with shock, sepsis, and postoperative complications, and is also a risk factor in renal transplantation. In the present study, we investigated the role of theaflavin (TF), a polyphenol substance extracted from black tea, in attenuating acute IRI in a mouse renal ischemia reperfusion injury model. Male Balb/c mice received intraperitoneal injection of 30mg/kg TF at 48, 24, and 2hrs prior to IRI. The animals were subjected to bilateral renal pedicle occlusion for 45mins. TF treatment suppressed the peak in serum creatinine and BUN. TF-treated kidneys showed significantly less tubular damage and a decreased number of apoptotic cells. The IRI-induced elevation in the renal TBARS level was significantly decreased in the TF-treated group. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction showed that TF treatment significantly decreased the expression of IL-6, TNF-Α, iNOS and OPN mRNA expression. F4/80 staining showed reduced macrophage infiltration and TUNEL staining revealed less interstitial expression. It seemed that TF is effective on the kidney IRI. These findings suggest that TF protects the kidneys against IRI by reducing macrophage infiltration and decreasing renal fibrosis.

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