Fenugreek Prevents the Development of STZ-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy in a Rat Model of Diabetes

The present study aims to examine the protective effect of fenugreek and the underlying mechanism against the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic rats. A rat model of diabetes was successfully established by direct injection of STZ and then the rats were administered an interventional treatment of fenugreek. Parameters of renal function, including blood glucose, albuminuria, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), dimethyl formamide (DMF), blood urine nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), and kidney index (KI), were detected in the three groups (Con, DN, and DF). Oxidative stress was determined by the activity of antioxidase. Extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation and other morphological alterations were evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry and electron microscope. Quantitive (q)PCR was employed to detect the mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and protein expression was determined with western blot analysis. DN rats in the present study demonstrated a significant renal dysfunction, ECM accumulation, pathological alteration, and oxidative stress, while the symptoms were evidently reduced by fenugreek treatment. Furthermore, the upregulation of TGF-β1 and CTGF at a transcriptional and translational level in DN rats was distinctly inhibited by fenugreek. Consequently, fenugreek prevents DN development in a STZ-induced diabetic rat model.