Protective effect of selenium on diabetic nephropathy in wistar rats

This study conducted on thirty-five male albino Wistar rats divided into five groups : the first group serves as control (C), the second group was treated by intraperitoneal injection of selenium (sodium selenite ) at 1.89 mg/kg / day,  regarding the 3rd  groups diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg/kg of alloxan (single dose) (DM). One of the diabetic groups was treated by intraperitoneal injection of insulin, 3 IU/100 g PC twice a day (DTins).  Another diabetic group is treated with 1.89 mg/kg/day of sodium selenite intraperitoneally (DTSe), and this for 21 days (the two groups treated with selenium were previously treated by gavage of 2 mg/kg/day for 10 days by the same trace element).

The results showed in untreated diabetic rats, a drop in body weight, and an increase in blood glucose (13.87mmol/L ± 0.62), urea (10.58 mmol/l ± 0.59), creatinine (64 µmol/l ± 1.3), and phosphorus (1.8 mmol/l ± 0.2).  A decrease in serum calcium (1.9 mmol/l±0.1), total protein (58g/l ± 5), albumin (32 g/l ± 3), insulin (0.64 µ UI/ml ± 0.06) and enzymatic activity of serum G6PDH (109.8 m UI/10GR ± 3). With a decrease in anti-oxidant defense, which results in a reduced renal tissue content in GSH (55 nmol/mg of proteins ± 2.2) and of GPx (0.198 µmol/mg of P ± 0.007) and catalase (14.64 µmol H2O2/mn/mg of P ± 0.8) activities. Meanwhile an increase activity of GSTs (0.791 nmol/mn/mg of P ± 0.03) and the concentration of TBARS (0.382 nmol/mg of P ± 0.02) were observed.

Sodium selenite induced the antioxidant defense of renal tissue, which protected it from the free radical damage that can be caused by the injection of Alloxan.