Simvastatin ameliorates diabetic nephropathy by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptosis in a rat model of streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes

Journal Article

2018

Published in: https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/29860221

Mahmoud, Nawal M. Al-Rasheed, Nouf M. Al-Rasheed, Yieldez A. Bassiounia, Iman H. Hasana. Maha A. Al-Amin, Hanaa N. Al-Ajmi, Ayman M. . 2018

Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors with lipid-lowering effect and commonly used to reduce cardiovascular

risk in diabetic patients. The present study investigates the ameliorative effect of simvastatin (SIM) on

diabetic nephropathy in rats, pointing to its anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative stress efficacies. Diabetes was

induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 55 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin (STZ) and both control and

diabetic rats received 10 mg/kg SIM for 90 days. Treatment with SIM diminished the body weight loss, blood

glucose and, serum creatinine, urea and uric acid in diabetic rats. SIM improved the creatinine clearance rate and

urinary levels of creatinine, urea and albumin in STZ-induced rats. Lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide (NO) were

significantly increased in the diabetic kidney whereas reduced glutathione, SOD and catalase were declined. Bax

and caspase-3 showed a significant increase and Bcl-2 was decreased in the kidney of diabetic rats. SIM administration

reduced lipid peroxidation and NO, and improved antioxidants and the expression of apoptotic

markers. Diabetic rats showed increased collagen deposition in the kidney, atrophied irregular renal corpuscles

with collapsed glomeruli and tubules with degenerated epithelial lining, an effect that was reversed following

treatment with SIM. In conclusion, SIM can protect against diabetic nephropathy by attenuating oxidative stress

and apoptosis.

• Publication Work Type: article
• Volume Number: 2018
• Issue Number: 105
• Magazine \ Newspaper: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
• Pages: 290-298