The effects of dutasteride and tamsulosin, alone or in association, in the kidney morphology: experimental study in rats.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the renal morphology after isolated and combined administration of dutasteride and tamsulosin in rats.

METHODS

Forty male rats were divided in groups: control group; D, receiving 0.5 mg/kg/day of dutasteride; T, receiving 0.4 mg/kg/day of tamsulosin; and D+T, receiving both dutasteride and tamsulosin. The drugs were given by gavage for 40 days. The animals were killed, and kidneys were collected for stereological analyses of kidney volume, cortical volume, volumetric density of glomeruli, mean glomerular volume, and number of glomeruli per kidney. Data was compared by analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni's post-hoc test.

RESULTS

Kidney weight, kidney volume, cortical volume, and glomerular volumetric density were reduced in all treated groups, in comparison to control group. The mean glomerular volume was reduced in groups D and D+T, in comparison to control rats, but in group T this parameter was not altered. Finally, the number of glomeruli per kidney was reduced by 37.9% in the group D, by 25.7% in group T, and by 33.07% in group D+T, in comparison to control group.

CONCLUSION

The use of dutasteride and tamsulosin (isolated or in combination) promoted kidney damage with nephron losses in the rodent model. Animals that received dutasteride showed more severe renal modifications than those that received tamsulosin and combined therapy.