Background: Cisplatin is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) during chemotherapy for lung cancer, and the nephrotoxicity limits its clinical use. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is a major component of the cellular antioxidant defense system and performs important physiological functions. The aim of this study was to analyze the protective effect of GSH on AKI in lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin.
Methods: The clinical data were retrospectively collected from lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin at our hospital between 1 January and 31 December 2019. The patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group based on whether AKI occurred, and into GSH group and non-GSH group based on whether GSH was used. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze the risk factors for AKI.
Results: A total of 1372 lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin were enrolled. Of these patients, 231 patients (16.8%) developed AKI. The incidence of AKI was lower in the GSH group compared with the non-GSH group (10.6% vs. 18%, p = 0.009). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that older age (OR = 1.045, 95% CI 1.025-1.065, p < 0.001), anemia (OR = 2.436, 95% CI 1.800-3.298, p < 0.001), higher SUA levels (OR = 1.002, 95% CI 1.000-1.004, p = 0.012), higher total amount of cisplatin per cycle (OR = 1.015, 95% CI 1.004-1.025, p = 0.005), and combination with paclitaxel (OR = 2.099, 95% CI 1.435-3.070, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for AKI in lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin, whereas GSH (OR = 0.573, 95% CI 0.353-0.931, p = 0.025) and mannitol (OR = 0.229, 95% CI 0.055-0.963, p = 0.044) reduced the risk of AKI.
Conclusion: GSH was an independent protective factor against AKI in lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin and could be considered for clinical use in these patients to better protect renal function.
Keywords: Reduced glutathione; acute kidney injury; cisplatin; lung cancer; risk factors.