Author(s): Amani MD El-Mousalamy, Abdel Aziz M Hussein, Seham A Mahmoud, Azza Abdelaziz and Gehan Shaker
Objective: The present study examined the effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of palm dates (fruits and seeds) on diabetic nephropathy in a rat model of type 2 DM. Methods: Sixty male albino rats subdivided into a) normal control (NC) group, b) diabetic control (DM) group, c) aqueous fruit extract (AFE) group, d) methanolic fruit extract (MFE) group, e) aqueous seed extract (ASE) group and f) methanolic seed extract (ASE) group. Treatment with both extracts done for 15 weeks after induction of type 2 DM. by the end of experiment fasting blood glucose, serum lipid profile, creatinine, urea, uric acid, urinary albumin excretion, kidney tissue MDA, catalase, SOD, GSH were measured and kidney histopathological examination was done. Results: Diabetic untreated rats showed significant hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia and deterioration in kidney functions and morphology with enhanced oxidative stress in kidney tissues. On other hand, rats treated with either aqueous or methanolic fruit or seed extracts showed significant improvement in all studied parameters compared to DM group (p<0.05). However, the effects of fruit extracts especially aqueous extract were more powerful than seed extracts. Conclusion: Aqueous and methanolic fruit and seed extracts of palm date protect kidneys from diabetic nephropathy in rats which might be due to their antioxidant properties.
