HNE-dependent molecular damage in diabetic nephropathy and its possible prevention by N-acetyl-cysteine and oxerutin.

Accumulation of Advanced Lipoxidation End-products (ALE), such as MDA- and HNE-protein adducts, and Advanced Glycation End-products, such as carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), are probably involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. In this study the effect of some antioxidant treatments (oxerutin, N-acetylcysteine, taurine and N-acetylcysteine+taurine) on kidney lipoxidative damage has been evaluated by immunohistochemistry in streptozotocined rats. Diabetic rats showed marked glomerular positivity for ALE, while the samples from Control rats were negative. All treatments except taurine were able to protect the glomeruli from ALE accumulation; the failure of taurine may be due to residual oxidative properties of its derivatives. These data are consistent with those of our previous study, which showed that all the antioxidants used except taurine protected the glomeruli from diabetes-induced enlargement, increased apoptotic rate, decreased cell density and CML accumulation. These data attest to a role of glycoxidative and lipoxidative damage in diabetes-dependent damage of the kidney, and indicate that specific antioxidants can prevent or attenuate diabetic nephropathy.