Dietary fiber of jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus L., Fabaceae) tuber ameliorateskidney structure and function in mice fed with high-sucrose drink

Frequent consumption of high-sugar drinks (HSD) including sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated with the development of kidney disease. Otherwise, proper intake of dietary fiber extracted from the tuber of jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus L., Fabaceae) is shown to exert counteractive effects against HSD-induced metabolic syndrome including diabetes. However, it remains unelucidated whether the incorporation of jicama fiber in the diet could exert a beneficial effect on kidney function. This study aimed to elucidate the protective effect of jicama fiber in the diet against kidney disease caused by HSD. A total of thirty adult male albino mice were randomly assigned into three groups, the control group (fed with distilled water drink and standard diet), the high-sucrose drink group (HSD; fed with 30% sucrose solution drink and standard diet), and the high-sucrose drink + JF group (HSD + JF; fed with 30% sucrose drink and a standard diet supplemented with 25% of jicama fiber). The treatments were performed for ten weeks followed by the measurements of fasting blood glucose, plasma creatinine and kidney indices including urine protein, urine specific gravity, and refractive index and the examination of histopathological alterations in the kidney. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of JF in the diet at the dose of 25% could effectively counteract the elevation of fasting blood glucose and indicators of kidney damage including plasma creatinine, urine protein, urine specific gravity, and urine refractive index caused by HSD. However, JF failed to prevent HSD-induced mass reduction of the kidney but could ameliorate histopathological alterations in the kidney. Furthermore, JF effectively prevented tubular atrophy and fibrosis in the kidney in HSD-treated mice. Therefore, supplementation of the diet with JF at the dose of 25% could be effective in protecting the kidney against HSD. Thus, proper consumption of dietary fiber of jicama tuber has the potential to reduce HSD-induced kidney disease.