Gum Arabic Attenuates the Development of Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes Rat

Gum Arabic (GA) is a branched-chain polysaccharide indigestible to humans and animals. It has been considered as a safe dietary fiber by the United States, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since the last century. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe long-lasting complication of diabetes affecting up to 50% of diabetic patients. In the present study, we investigated the effect of GA on diabetic rat. A model of diabetic rat was established by intraperitoneal injection of Streptozotocin (STZ). The rats were divided into 3 groups: control group treated with a vehicle, diabetic group injected with STZ and diabetic rats group were given 10% of GA in drinking water for 30 days. Body weight, urinary glucose, protein, serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urinary nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were measured. E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Cytokeratin19, Vimentin and Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) mRNA expression were determined. GA was significantly (P<0.05) reduced body weight and spleen weight, serum urea, and urinary protein (P<0.05). In addition, GA significantly (P<0.01) decreased serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and HDL-c. Moreover, GA significantly (P<0.05) reduced α-SAM and TGF-β1 gene expression in kidney compared to STZ treated rats. In contrast, GA significantly (P<0.05) increased kidney cytokeratin19 and E-cadherin gene expression compared to the STZ group. A significant increase in tubulointerstitial collagen was shown in the STZ treated rats whereas it decreased for the GA treated group compared to the control group. The results indicate that GA may attenuate the development of nephropathy in type I diabetes rat.