Safranal ameliorates glomerulopathy in experimentally induced diabetic rats

Nephropathy occurs in 20%-40% of patients with diabetes. Many research works carried out on different agents to prevent or ameliorate the nephropathy caused by diabetes.

This study was programmed to investigate the effects of safranal on glomerulopathy induced by experimental diabetes in rats.

Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ), followed by safranal (0.025, 0.1, and 0.4 mg/kg) and insulin (5 IU/kg) treatments for 6 weeks. To the control group, after an intraperitoneal injection of citrate buffer, rats were randomly received administrations of normal saline. Blood glucose levels were determined at fixed intervals before and after induction of diabetes. On the 45th day, after blood collection from the heart for biochemical analysis, the animals were euthanized and kidney tissues were collected, fixed, processed, and stained with H and E, Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and Masson trichrome for histopathology observation.

Hyperglycemia, the increased serum levels of urea, creatinine, and malondialdehyde, and the decreased serum activity of superoxide dismutase induced by STZ were restored by safranal (0.1 and 0.4 mg/kg) and insulin. Safranal and insulin ameliorated STZ-induced glomerular changes, including thickening and splitting of glomerular basement membrane, expansion of mesangial matrix, mesangiolysis, hyperplasia, and fibrosis. No significant differences were observed between the alleviating effects of safranal (4 mg/kg) and insulin.

It is concluded that safranal produced beneficial effects in diabetic rats by antihyperglycemic, antioxidative, and insulinomimetic mechanisms.