Background and Aim: Industrialization of communities has resulted in a rise in cadmium accumulation in the plants, and also organs of human and animals. Kidney is the main target organ for cadmium accumulation and toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of montelukast on cadmium toxicity in renal cells. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was performed on human embryonic kidney cells of HEK-293 class. The study included six groups. Group one was our control group. Group 2: treated with different concentrations of cadmium chloride; group 3: treated with different concentrations of montelukast; group 4: exposed to cadmium chloride IC50 for 24 hours, then treated with montelukast at therapeutic concentration for 24 and 72 hours; group 5: treated with montelukast at therapeutic concentration for 24 hours followed by cadmium chloride IC50 for 24 and 72 hours; group 6: simultaneously exposed to cadmium chloride IC50 and montelukast at therapeutic concentration for 24 and 72 hours. Cell viability and changes in the cell nuclei were determined at specific times by MTT test and DAPI staining, respectively. Finally, the data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA. Results: Montelukast administration resulted in a significant increase in the viability of cadmium exposed kidney cells. The results of MTT test and DAPI staining showed that treatment with montelukast decreased cadmium induced cell deformation and led to significant improvement of the damaged cells (p<0.05). Conclusion:Considering the beneficial effects of montelukast on renal cells, it can be recommended for prevention or treatment of cadmium toxicity.

INTRODUCTION Algae contain diverse photosynthetic organisms that grow in aquatic environments. According to their morphology and chemical composition, marine macroalgae or seaweeds are classified into green algae (Chlorophyta), brown algae (Phaeophyta), and red algae (Rhodophyta) [1]. They have various bioactive organic and inorganic components with beneficial applications, such as feeding and health protection of humans and animals [2, 3]. Due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, the medicinal plants might play an alternative role in the treatment of infectious diseases. The biological and pharmacological evaluation of seaweeds has led to discovering several natural or semi-synthetic drugs in recent years [4]. In response to harsh environmental conditions, algae produce various secondary metabolites [3, 5] that have bactericidal effects against some of the Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria [6]. In addition, brown, red, and green seaweed extracts have been reported to have antioxidant, antiviral [7], antifungal [8], cytotoxic [9], and larvicidal properties [10]. The anti-inflammatory compounds of the seaweeds can be also used for medicinal applications [11]. The Gracilaria species grow in the tropical regions throughout the world. These Algae produce sulfated polysaccharides. The polysaccharide backbone of

Background: The protective effects of Montelukast (Mont), as an anti-inflammatory drug, against cadmium-induced kidney cell damage have already been studied and identified. Since the significant part of cadmium nephrotoxicity is caused by oxidative stress, this in vivo and in vitro study was conducted to investigate the possible role of Montelukast antioxidant properties in the protection. Methods: In the in vivo section, 42 rats were treated in seven groups of six rats as follows: Control; Cadmium Chloride (CdCl2) control; Montelukast control; CdCl2 plus Montelukast treatment; CdCl2 with Montelukast pre-treatment; Vitamin E control; CdCl2 plus Vitamin E treatment. In the in vitro section, human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) were treated with CdCl2; Montelukast; Combined CdCl2 and Montelukast; Vitamin E; Combined CdCl2 and Vitamin E. Results: Montelukast, in both treatment and pretreatment forms, reduced serum urea, creatinine, and potassium levels compared to CdCl2 group, in vivo. Similar to vitamin E, the pre-treatment with Montelukast was associated with a significant decrease in Nitric Oxide (NO) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) in serum and renal tissue, and a significant increase in Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX) activity in serum compared those in the CdCl2 group. In the in vitro section of the study, Montelukast significantly reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) and NO while the TAC level, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and the GPX activity increased significantly. Conclusion: Overall, the antioxidant effects of Montelukast appear to play a prominent role in preventing the renal toxicity due to cadmium exposure.