Potentially beneficial effects of ethyl-pyruvate on diabetic nephropathy: an experimental and ultrastructural study

Oxidative stress is one of the main reasons of the diabetic nephropathy, which is a complication of the diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of ethyl-pyruvate (EP) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats’ kidney.

Four groups (n = 8) male Wistar albino rats were used as follows: controls group rats were received only sodium citrate buffer solution by intraperitoneally (ip). EP group was given 50 mg/kg EP ip. DM group, diabetes formed by inducing streptozotocin. DM + EP group, received 50 mg/kg EP ip. All animals received daily treatment for 14 days, and at the end of the study, the kidneys were removed: the left kidney of the rats for malondialdehyde (MDA) analysis and the right kidney for histological examination.

There was normal appearance of the kidney tissues in the control and the EP administered groups. In DM group, there was evident basement membrane thickening, enlargement of mesangial matrix; swelling in some tubular epithelial cells was noticeable. In DM + EP administered group, nearly control group appearance as well as relatively thickening in the glomerular basal membrane were detected.

The antioxidant effect of ethyl-pyruvate improved the renal structures in DM + EP

group.