Sains Malaysiana 54(3)(2025): 815-826

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5403-16

 

Effects of Low-Protein Diet on Renal Oxidative Stress, Biochemistry and Histology in Weaned Rats

(Kesan Diet Rendah Protein terhadap Tekanan Oksidatif Buah Pinggang, Biokimia dan Histologi pada Tikus Cerai Susu)

 

YEE XIN LEE¹, SEE MENG LIM^2,*, XIN QIAN NG², PEI TENG LUM², ELVY SUHANA MOHD RAMLI³, KOK-YONG CHIN⁴ & SITI BALKIS BUDIN¹

 

¹Centre for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

²Centre for Community Health Studies (ReaCH), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

³Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

⁴Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Received: 2 September 2024/Accepted: 28 November 2024

 

Abstract

A low-protein diet (LPD) leads to low plasma protein and insufficient building blocks for normal kidney development, especially in children. This study aimed to determine the effects of short-term LPD on renal oxidative stress, biochemical profile and histologic changes in weaned rats. Three-week-old male and female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the LPD group and the normal protein diet (NPD) group for 3 weeks. Renal oxidative stress, biochemical profile and histology were examined. Both male and female rats had significantly (p<0.05) lower body weight, smaller kidneys and higher advanced oxidation protein product concentrations after a 3-week LPD. Only LPD-fed females had lower malondialdehyde concentrations and superoxide dismutase activity but higher reduced glutathione concentrations compared to NPD-fed females. Histologic examination showed abnormal histologic features in the proximal and distal tubules, fibrosis in the cuboidal cells, reduced lumen diameter, smaller glomerular tuft area and glomerular tuft volume in LPD-fed male and female groups. In conclusion, short-term protein malnutrition leads to renal injury in male and female weaned rats. The different responses of male and female rats to protein malnutrition suggest sexual dimorphism and hormonal factors in kidney development, with females showing a higher susceptibility to oxidative damage.

Keyword: Kidney; low-protein diet; oxidative stress

 

Abstrak

Diet rendah protein (LPD) menyebabkan protein plasma yang rendah dan blok binaan yang tidak mencukupi untuk perkembangan ginjal yang normal, terutamanya pada kanak-kanak. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan kesan jangka pendek LPD terhadap tekanan oksidatif ginjal, profil biokimia dan perubahan histologi ginjal dalam tikus cerai susu. Tikus Sprague Dawley jantan dan betina berusia tiga minggu dibahagikan kepada kumpulan LPD dan kumpulan diet protein biasa (NPD) selama 3 minggu. Tekanan oksidatif ginjal, profil biokimia dan histologi ginjal telah diperiksa. Tikus jantan dan betina mempunyai berat badan yang lebih rendah (p<0.05), ginjal yang lebih kecil dan kepekatan pengoksidaan produk protein lanjutan yang lebih tinggi 3 minggu selepas LPD. Hanya tikus betina yang diberi LPD mempunyai kepekatan malondialdehid dan aktiviti superoksida dismutase yang lebih rendah dan kepekatan glutation terturun yang lebih tinggi berbanding tikus betina yang diberi NPD. Pemeriksaan histologi mendedahkan ciri histologi yang tidak normal dalam tubul proksimal dan distal, fibrosis dalam sel kuboid, diameter lumen yang berkurangan dan kawasan tuf glomerulus dan isi padu tuf glomerulus yang lebih kecil pada kumpulan jantan dan betina yang diberi LPD. Kesimpulannya, malpemakanan protein jangka pendek menyebabkan kecederaan ginjal pada tikus jantan dan betina yang telah bercerai susu. Tindak balas yang berbeza antara tikus jantan dan tikus betina terhadap kekurangan zat protein menunjukkan dimorfisme seks dan faktor hormon dalam perkembangan ginjal, dengan betina menunjukkan kerentanan yang lebih tinggi kepada kerosakan oksidatif.

Kata kunci: Ginjal; pemakanan rendah protein; tekanan oksidatif

 

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*Corresponding author; email: smlim@ukm.edu.my