6-shogaol protects against diabetic nephropathy and cardiomyopathy via modulation of oxidative stress/NF-κB pathway.

Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of numerous heart and kidney troubles. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) and cardiomyopathy (DC) are major causes of death. The pathophysiology of DN/DC includes inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms. NF-kappa B is one of the transcription factor that mediates signal transduction processes. Nowadays, it is suggested that inhibition of NF-kappa B activation could delay the development of DN and DC. 6-shogaol was reported to modulate NF-kappa B besides its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, it is worth testing it against diabetic complications. Rats were divided to 4 groups: Normal control (NC), 6-shogaol (6S), diabetic control (DC), diabetic rats treated with 6-shogaol (DC+6S). BGL, BUN, serum creatinine, total urine protein, creatine kinase (CK), LDH, NO, TNF-alpha, NF-kappa B were determined in serum. Heart and kidney tissues were isolated for GSH, MDA, SOD measurement and histopathology. NF-kappa B was estimated in kidney tissues using immunohistopathology and western blot techniques. Results showed that diabetic rats left untreated for 16 weeks showed kidney injury as evidenced from elevated BUN, serum creatinine, urine protein, TNF-alpha and NF-kappa B. Heart tissue damage was evidence from elevated CK, LDH. Diabetic rats simultaneously treated with 6-shogaol showed a protective effect on both kidney and heart as evidenced biochemically and histopathologically. Therefore, using 6-shogaol may be of value in protection against diabetic complications in kidney and heart of rats.