Evaluation of Ginkgo biloba in Diabetic Nephrotoxicity.

 

M.K. Kale1*,   M.P. Patil2 and K.P. Bhusari1

1Sharad Pawar College of Pharmacy, Wanadongri, Nagpur 441110

2Tapi Valley’s, College of Pharmacy, Faizpur, Ta. Yawal , Dist. Jalgaon (MS)

 

ABSTRACT:

Nephrotoxicity is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes and it is the leading cause of end stage renal disease. Hyperglycemia induced oxygen free radicals cause oxidative stress and subsequent oxidative damages, leading cell and tissue injury. Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were divided into 4 groups, Control, Diabetic control , Diabetic + Ginkgo biloba and  Diabetic + Vit E group . Blood urea, serum creatinine and serum uric acid as well as plasma malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione were estimated and histopathological studies of kidneys were performed. Alloxan at the dose of 120mg/kg i.p, for 2 months at the interval of 14 days, induced diabetes. This prolonged diabetes increased oxidative stress and caused an increase in the levels of serum creatinine, urea, uric acid and plasma malondialdehyde while there were decrease in the levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione in diabetic group as compared to normal control group. Histopathological examination revealed hemorrhage, necrosis, and infiltration of leukocytes around the glomerulus and interstitial spaces. Co-administration of Ginkgo biloba 300mg/kg orally, daily for 2 months in diabetic-induced rats caused decreased in the levels of serum creatinine, urea, uric acid and plasma malondialdehyde. Increased levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione were also found. The study revealed protective antioxidant activity of Ginkgo biloba in diabetic nephrotoxicity.

KEYWORDS: Diabetes, Oxidative stress, Nephrotoxicity, Ginkgo biloba.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Nephrotoxicity is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes and it is the leading cause of end stage renal disease1,2. Different studies were carried out in diabetes showed that it is the major disorder responsible for nephrotoxicity. The major key factor involved is the generation of free radicals along with depletion of first line defense system of body3,4. Alloxan has been widely used to induce diabetes in experimental models. It causes necrosis of b- cells of islets of langerhans of pancreas5. Hyperglycemia induced oxygen free radicals acts as a mediator of diabetic complications. Several studies showed that the overproduction of superoxide anion by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain seems to be the first event in diabetes to produce free radicals6. Other key events are increased polyol pathway7, increased advanced glycosylation end product formation8 and activation of protein kinase C9. Alloxan induced diabetes is responsible for generation of free radicals in the cells10. Although the mechanism is not known for nephrotoxicity, but may be due to oxidative stress and subsequent oxidative damages leading cell and tissue injury. Ginkgo biloba is a flavonoid that occurs in conjugated form11.

 


It has been reported that the active constituents responsible for antioxidant activity are quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempherol12,13. Hence it was proposed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Ginkgo biloba in long-term diabetic complications such as diabetic nephrotoxicity.

 

Experimental Material and methods:

Animals – Sprague-Dawley rats of both sex weighing between 150-200gms were used for experiment. They were maintained in a clean polypropylene cage with food and water ad libitum. Institutional Animal Ethical committee under guidelines of CPCSEA, New Delhi, INDIA, approved the protocol.

 

Chemicals – Diacetyl monoxime, thiosemicarbazide, metaphosphoric acid, picric acid, uric acid, trichloroacetic acid, thiobarbituric acid, pyrogallol, hydrogen peroxide, 5,5 dithio-bis-2 nitro benzoic acid (DTNB). Chemicals were purchased from LOBA Chemie, Burgoyne, Merck and Sigma Aldrich Co. U.S.A.

 

Methods- The rats were divided into four groups of six animals in each group. Group I served as normal control and received normal saline solution daily intraperitoneally. Group II served as diabetic control and received alloxan 120mg/kg i.p, at the interval of 14 days14. Group III received alloxan, i.p plus Ginkgo biloba 300mg/kg orally, daily15. Group IV received alloxan, i.p plus Vit E 150mg/kg orally, daily16.

 

Sugar level of each rat was maintained and monitored throughout the protocol by GOD-POD method. At the end of the protocol, blood was withdrawn from retro-orbital plexus and levels of serum creatinine, urea and uric acid17 were determined. Serum creatinine was estimated by alkaline picrate method, serum urea by diacetyl monoxime method and serum uric acid by Henry-Caraway’s method. Along with this blood parameter, the oxidative stress parameters like lipid peroxidation in erythrocyte suspension was determined. The endogenous antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione were determined in erythrocyte lysate and blood respectively to find out the extent of oxidative stress.

 

Lipid peroxidation18 – It was determined by in separated RBC suspension. To the suspension phosphate buffered saline, trichloroacetic acid was added and centrifuged. To the supernatant, thiobarbituric acid was added and the mixture was heated on boiling water bath for 1 hour and cooled immediately. The absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at 532 nm. The lipid peroxidation was calculated on the basis of the molar extinction coefficient of malondialdehyde (1.56 ´ 105) and expressed in terms of nanomoles of MDA/g Hb.

 

Superoxide dismutase19 – It was determined in erythrocyte lysate prepared from RBC suspension. To the lysate, Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.2), EDTA and pyrogallol were added. An increase in absorbance was recorded at 420 nm for 3 minutes by spectrophotometer. The activity of SOD is expressed in terms of units/mg protein.

 

Catalase20Catalase activity was determined in erythrocyte lysate. To the lysate, phosphate buffer was added (pH 7.0). To this hydrogen peroxide was added and increase in absorbance was recorded at 240 nm for 1 minute. The molar extinction coefficient of hydrogen peroxide was used to determine catalase activity and it is expressed in terms of units/mg protein.

 

Reduced glutathione21 – It was determined in whole blood. Blood was added in distilled water followed by addition of precipitating mixture of metaphosphoric acid, EDTA and NaCl. It was centrifugedand clarified. To the filtrate, phosphate solution was added followed by addition of DTNB reagent. Absorbance was measured at 412 nm and expressed in terms of mm DTNB conjugated/g Hb.

 

Histopathological study22- Kidneys from the four groups were isolated and fixed in 10% formalin solution. These were processed. Sections of 4-6 mm were cut on microtome machine and were stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Finally they were examined under light microscope and photographed. The changes evaluated were denoted as absent (-), negligible (±), mild (+), moderate (++) and severe (+++).

 
RESULTS:

In alloxan induced diabetic group, there was rise in the levels of serum creatinine, urea and uric acid. Co-administration of Ginkgo biloba showed decrease in levels of these parameters. And these results were comparable with alloxan + Vit E treated group, which was taken as a standard antioxidant (Table 1).

 

Table 1: Effect of Ginkgo biloba on serum creatinine, urea and uric acid in rats (mean ± S.D, n=6).

Group

Serum creatinine  (mg/dl)

Serum urea (mg/dl)

Serum uric acid (mg/dl)

Control

0.42 ± 0.25

21.6 ± 2.9

3.82 ± 0.39

Diabetic control

1.5 ± 0.31a

34 ± 2.7a

4.86 ± 0.26a

Diabetic +Ginkgo biloba

1.16 ± 0.16b

28.6 ± 2.0b

4.28 ± 0.21b

Diabetic + Vit E

0.7 ± 0.29b

25 ± 3.0b

4.04 ± 0.16 b

ap<0.05 when compared to control; bp<0.05 when compared to diabetic

 

Plasma malondialdehyde level was increased and levels of antioxidant enzyme system were decreased in diabetic group as compared to control. Concurrent administration of Ginkgo biloba reduced the plasma malondialdehyde and increased the levels of antioxidant enzyme (Table 2).

 

In diabetic group, hemorrhage in medullary area, infiltration of leukocytes around the glomerulus, cloudy and sloughy swelling of tubular epithelial cells and necrosis of tubular epithelium was observed. Co-administration of Ginkgo biloba showed mild hemorrhage and infiltration of leukocytes around glomerulus (Table 3).


Table 2: Effect of Ginkgo biloba on oxidative stress in rats (mean ± S.D, n = 6)

Groups

Parameters

Lipid peroxidation (nm MDA/g Hb)

Superoxide dismutase (units/mg protein)

Catalase (units/mg protein)

Reduced glutathione (mm DTNB conjugated/g Hb)

Control

260.4 ± 20.33

32.26 ± 2.73

290.4 ± 20.55

4.78 ± 0.29

Diabetic control

515.4 ± 21.81a

24.76 ± 3.78a

220.6 ± 18.36a

2.72 ± 0.22a

Diabetic + Ginkgo biloba

390.4 ± 11.54b

27.2 ± 2.56b

232 ± 18.86b

3.75 ± 0.17b

Diabetic + Vit E

325 ± 11.18b

30.06 ± 2.46b

250 ± 19.82b

4.2 ± 0.22b

ap<0.05 when compared to control; bp<0.05 when compared to diabetic

 

Table 3: Effect of Ginkgo biloba on kidneys of diabetic rats (histopathological study) (mean ± S.D, n=6)

Lesions.

Groups.

Control

Alloxan treated (diabetic)

Alloxan

+ GB-I

Alloxan

+ GB-II

Alloxan +

Vit. E

Hemorrhage.

++

+++

+

++

++

Cloudy swelling of tubules.

±

++

++

+

+

Necrosis and sloughing of tubular epithelium.

±

+

+

+

±

Infiltration of leukocytes around glomerulus and interstitial spaces.

-

++

+

+

-

Absent         -; Negligible   ±; Mild            +; Moderate    ++; Severe       +++

 

 


DISCUSSION:

Results of this study confirmed that, prolonged duration of diabetes produced nephrotoxicity as evident by increased levels of serum creatinine, urea and uric acid. In the present study, we investigated the potent antioxidant effect of Ginkgo biloba on diabetes induced nephrotoxicity. Concurrent treatment with Ginkgo biloba provided the functional and histological protection against renal damage. Increase in serum creatinine, urea and uric acid was lowered by Ginkgo biloba. Co-administration of Ginkgo biloba effectively reduced increase in plasma MDA. Also showed increased level of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione).

 

In summary, the present study provided evidence that coadministration of Ginkgo biloba in diabetes reduces both functional and histological renal damages induced by diabetes. This protection may be due to antioxidant property of Ginkgo biloba.

 

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Received on 08.08.2011

Accepted on 11.09.2011     

© A&V Publication all right reserved

Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 3(6): Nov. - Dec. 2011, 286-288