ROLE OF RASAGILINE, A MAO-B INHIBITOR IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY.

Bhatt Priyanka*, Kumar Arun and Kothiyal Preeti

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is a chronic micro vascular complication of diabetes mellitus which affects the kidneys and is one of the common reasons for End Stage Renal Disease leading to mortality and morbidity. Hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress and leads to activation of multiple biochemical pathways which are a major source of kidney damage. Thus, prevention and treatment of diabetic nephropathy can reduce the incidence of end stage renal disease, death and ultimately the economic burden. Currently treatments available for diabetic nephropathy are limited so more investigations are needed to improve the condition of the patients. The present study involves investigation of the effect of MAO-B inhibitor in diabetic nephropathic animals. Methods: Male wistar rats, weighing 150-250 g were randomized into nine groups (n=7). Diabetes was induced by administering Streptozotocin (65mg/kg, i.p.) 15 min after nicotinamide (110 mg/kg, i.p.) injection. Starting from 5th week, post nicotinamide (NAD)-Streptozotocin (STZ) injection, Rasagiline (RG) and Glimepiride (GP) were administered for 4 weeks. Serum glucose, body weight, serum creatinine, and serum urea were measured weekly. Malondialdehyde measurement and histopathology of kidney was carried out at the end of the study. Results: After 28 days of treatment with RG (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg, i.p), significant reduction in serum urea, serum creatinine and lipid peroxidation was observed. No significant effect was observed on serum glucose and body weight as compared to diabetic control. RG (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg, i.p) in combination with GP (10mg/kg, i.p) showed significant reduction in serum glucose, serum urea, serum creatinine and lipid peroxidation. Improvement in body weight was also observed in STZ induced diabetic rats as compared to diabetic control. Conclusion: The present study concludes that Combination of RG and GP not only attenuates the diabetes but also reverses the nephropathic signs through its nephroprotective actions and thus RG may serve as a new therapeutic alternative for management in nephropathy associated with type-2 diabetes.

Keywords: Diabetic nephropathy, Rasagiline, oxidative stress, renal function test.