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Updated: Jan 18, 2026
Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Whole Kidney, Medulla, and Cortical Tubules in Diabetic Pathogenesis of Kidney Injury in Mice
Published on: May 2, 2025
Low-protein Calorie-restriction Mitigates Diabetic Mice Kidney Injury via the Gut-Kidney Axis
Ruixiang Zhang1,2, Xiao Wei1, Yijiao Xu1
1Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 210028 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Background:
Dietary interventions have exhibited promise in restoring microbial balance in chronic kidney disease. A low-protein calorie-restricted diet can reduce kidney injury in diabetic rodents. However, whether the renoprotective effects of this dietary intervention in murine diabetic kidney disease models are linked to gut microbiota modulation remains to be determined.
Methods:
Diabetic mice (induced by high-fat diet and streptozotocin) were randomized into four groups (n = 8/group): normal protein (20% protein), caloric restriction (30% restriction), low-protein (13% protein), and low-protein calorie-restricted (13% protein + 30% restriction). After a 5-week intervention, blood and urine samples were collected for relevant analyses, fecal samples for gut microbiota analysis, and kidney tissues for histological, immunohistochemical, and Western immunoblotting assays.
Results:
The low-protein calorie-restricted diet significantly improved glycemic control (fasting blood glucose: p < 0.01), ameliorated dyslipidemia (all p < 0.01), and mitigated kidney damage in diabetic mice. Additionally, the low-protein calorie-restricted diet ameliorated gut microbiota dysbiosis, significantly suppressing the increase in Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (p = 0.02) and decreasing serum trimethylamine oxide levels (67.51 ± 1.47 ng/mL vs. 56.58 ± 5.75 ng/mL; p < 0.01). Compared to the normal protein group, the low-protein calorie-restricted group exhibited significant reductions in serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels (20.75 ± 7.83 μmol/L vs. 5.37 ± 2.45 μmol/L; p < 0.01) and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) expression in kidney tissue (all p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
The low-protein calorie-restricted diet exerts renoprotective effects in mice with diabetic kidney disease, possibly by modulating the gut-kidney axis to reduce circulating trimethylamine oxide levels, suggesting a potential link to NLRP3 inflammasome suppression in kidney tissue.
