Abstract
•Protective effect of Momordica charantia polysaccharides (MCP) treatment on of STZ-induced DN in rats.•MCP reduces oxidative stress via antioxidant redox signaling pathway.•MCP restored the antioxidant ability by down regulating lipid peroxidation (MDA) and up regulating antioxidant enzymes.•MCP mitigates the progression of DN in rats through suppression of oxidative stress and modulation of the Nrf2 and HO-1 pathway.•MCP mitigates the magnitude of histologic renal damage to diabetic rats.
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become a primary cause of end-stage kidney disease. Several complex dynamics converge together to accelerate the advancement of DN. The present investigation was postulated to explore the mechanism of reno-protective nature of Momordica Charantia polysaccharides (MCP) by evaluating the anti-hyperglycemic, anti-lipidemic as well as markers for oxidative stress and antioxidant proficiency in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The oral administration of MCP showed a significant normalization in the levels of kidney function test in the STZ-induced diabetic rats. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urea protein and creatinine increased by 316.58%, 195.14% and 800.97% respectively, in STZ-induced diabetic rats when compared with normal rats. MCP treatment also illustrated a significant improvement in glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase levels, with a significant decline in MDA in diabetic kidneys. Immunoblots of heme-oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and Nrf2 of MCP treated diabetic rats showed a significant up-regulation of HO-1 and Nrf2 protein. Histological and ultra-structural observations also reveal that MCP efficiently protects the kidneys from hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative damage. These findings illustrate that the reno-protective nature of MCP mitigates the progression of STZ induced DN in rats by suppression of oxidative stress and amelioration of the HO-1/Nrf2 pathway.