Affiliations: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of
General Pathology, University of Genova, Genova, Italy | Centre of Pathological Anatomy (CLOPD) DISTBIMO,
University of Genova, Genova, Italy | Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova,
Genova, Italy
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Nicola Traverso, Department of
Experimental Medicine, Section of General Pathology, Via L.B. Alberti 2,
I-16132 Genova, Italy. Tel.: +39 010 353 8831; Fax: +39 010 353 8836; E-mail:
ntravers@medicina.unige.it
Abstract: Accumulation of Advanced Lipoxidation End-products (ALE), such as
MDA- and HNE-protein adducts, and Advanced Glycation End-products, such as
carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), are probably involved in the development of
diabetic nephropathy. In this study the effect of some antioxidant treatments
(oxerutin, N-acetylcysteine, taurine and N-acetylcysteine+taurine) on
kidney lipoxidative damage has been evaluated by immunohistochemistry in
streptozotocined rats. Diabetic rats showed marked glomerular positivity for ALE, while the
samples from Control rats were negative. All treatments except taurine were
able to protect the glomeruli from ALE accumulation; the failure of taurine may
be due to residual oxidative properties of its derivatives. These data are
consistent with those of our previous study, which showed that all the
antioxidants used except taurine protected the glomeruli from diabetes-induced
enlargement, increased apoptotic rate, decreased cell density and CML
accumulation. These data attest to a role of glycoxidative and lipoxidative damage
in diabetes-dependent damage of the kidney, and indicate that specific
antioxidants can prevent or attenuate diabetic nephropathy.
