Nobiletin ameliorates streptozotocin-cadmium-induced diabetic nephropathy via NF-κB signalling pathway in rats

Abstract

This study sought to examine the anti-diabetic effect of nobiletin on streptozotocin (STZ)/cadmium (Cd)-induced diabetic nephrotoxic (DN) rats. The DN was induced using STZ (40 mg/kg b.w) intraperitoneally and Cd through drinking water for 12 weeks. The DN rats were treated with nobiletin of different concentrations (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg/BW). The STZ/Cd-induced DN leads to a significantly increased of the glucose levels, glycosylated haemoglobin, hepatic and kidney function markers, lipid peroxidation levels, and reduction of insulin levels, total haemoglobin, body weight, and antioxidant status markers. Our finding that nobiletin pathological impairment and diminished infiltration of neutrophil in kidney tubules and all biochemical enzymes were near normal levels in DN. More essentially, nobiletin strongly impedes the protein expression of renal nuclear NF-κB p65. Bax protein expression was significantly downregulated and elevated protein expression Bcl-2 was recorded in DN rats. These results show that nobiletin possesses antioxidant as well as anti-diabetic activities and thereby reduces chronic kidney diseases in rats.

Keywords:

• Nobiletin
• streptozotocin
• cadmium
• anti-diabetic
• nephrotoxicity
• antioxidant

Acknowledgement

The authors are very thankful to the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University for financial support for this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, Ziyuan Ni.