The present study was conducted to elucidate the protective role of p-coumaric acid, a common dietary polyphenol against cadmium induced nephrotoxicity in rats. For the purpose of comparison, a standard reference drug silymarin (50mg/kgb.wt) was used. In this experiment, the animals were divided into four groups, with each consisting of six animals. The animals in Group I animals received saline and served as a control group and those in Group II received cadmium chloride (3mg/kg b. wt) subcutaneously once daily for 3 weeks, but Group III and IV animals received cadmium chloride followed by p-coumaric acid (100mg/kg b. wt, oral) and silymarin (50mg/kg b. wt, oral), respectively, daily for 3 weeks. At the end of the treatment, the animals were sacrificed, and the blood and kidney samples were collected. The results obtained in this study revealed the fact that the levels of lipid peroxidation, lysosomal enzymes, glycoprotein, cadmium and metallothionein were increased in the cadmium chloride alone treated rats and antioxidant status was found to be decreased, when compared to the control group. The levels of kidney functional markers (urea, uric acid and creatinine) were also found to be abnormal in serum and urine of cadmium chloride alone treated rats. On the other hand, the administration of p-coumaric acid along with cadmium chloride significantly protected the biochemical alterations as observed in the cadmium chloride alone treated rats as evidenced by histopathology. Thus, the oral administration of p-coumaric acid significantly protected the cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.