The effect of lovastatin and vitamin E on glomerular volume in diabetic rats

Diabetic nephropathy is the most common complication of diabetes. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. It has been shown that vitamin E and lovastatin delay the onset and progression of nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of supplementation of vitamin E and lovastatin on glomerular volume in diabetic rat kidney. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups. Group 1 was considered as control group and groups 2-5 as experimental groups in which diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Sixty days after induction of diabetes, the rats of group 3, 4 and 5 were received lovastatin (10 mg/kg/day), vitamin E (100 IU/kg), and simultaneously lovastatin and vitamin E, respectively. After treatment, the rats were anesthetized and then the kidneys were excised and fixed. Following tissue processing and staining, glomerular and kidney volume were estimated by cavalieri method. Total glomerular volume was increased significantly in the diabetic group (group 2) in comparison with the control group (P<0.01). The lovastatin group (group 3) showed a significant decrease in total glomerular volume in comparison with the diabetic group (p<0.01). However, in the vitamin E group (group 4), total glomerular volume decreased much more than in the lovastatin group and the lovastatin and vitamin E (group 5) simultaneously (P<0.001). It is possible that administration of lovastatin and vitamin E has renal protective effects on diabetic rats and ameliorates renal function and also prevents structural changes in an experimental model of diabetic nephropathy.