The current study evaluates the effects of taxifolin (TA) on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy in rats. We performed oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) to determine blood glucose levels. We also measured the following biochemical parameters: uric acid, creatinine, and serum insulin. Kidney pathology was examined by staining sections with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E). The expression of Caveolin-1 and NF-κB was analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. TA significantly reduced the concentrations of blood glucose, uric acid, creatinine, and serum insulin in STZ-induced diabetic rats.Pathological changes in kidneys of diabetes rats were alleviated by TA. Our data indicate that TA restored the levels of Caveolin-1/NF-κB signaling-related mRNA and proteins in diabetes rats. These combined results suggest that TA might mitigate the effects of STZ-induced diabetes.
Keywords: Caveolin-1; NF-κB; Taxifolin; inflammation; streptozotocin (STZ).