A ação nefroprotetora de Passiflora edulis no diabetes induzido por estreptozotocina

Abstract

There is evidence that diabetic kidney disease is a frequent and severe diabetes microvascular complication, thus requiring appropriate and continuous glycemic control. Currently, insulin monotherapy is the traditional method to control glycemia. However, in some cases this method is not sufficient to maintain blood glucose in the therapeutic target, requiring adjuvant therapeutic interventions. Among the alternative methods to provide better glycemic control, the use of plant species used in ethnopharmacology with hypoglycemic action stands out, being useful in the treatment of diabetes and its complications, highlighting the species Passiflora edulis, popularly known as yellow passion fruit. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Passiflora edulis fruit peel aqueous (AFA) extract as an adjuvant to insulin to confer nephroprotection against streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups based on treatment received for 60 days: untreated diabetic (DB), non-diabetic control (CTL), insulin-treated diabetic (INS) and insulin-treated diabetic + AFA extract (INS+AFA). Biochemical and histopathological parameters were evaluated, as well as mRNA and protein expression levels of podocyte (nephrin, podocin, and WT1) and tubular (megalin) proteins were measured in kidney tissue specimens and urine. Herein, the INS+AFA group showed superior glycemic control compared to the other groups, which resulted in the reduction of urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, maintenance of baseline levels of Nphs1, Nphs2, Wt1, and Lrp2 mRNA expression, prevention of protein loss from the kidney tissue into the urinary space, along with the maintenance of glomerular basement membrane thickness, hyalinization, glomerular and tubulointerstitial fibrosis at values approximating those of the CTL group and significantly lower than those in the DB group. Therefore, these results suggest that, as an anti-diabetic agent, the AFA extract adjuvant to insulin could reduce and potentially prevent diabetic kidney disease.