Renoprotective effect of Anacardium occidentale nuts in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats via regulating oxidative stress and inflammatory response

Introduction: The undesirable effect of antidiabetic drugs prompted attention to discover novel medicines to manage hyperglycemia-associated complications. This study investigated the effectiveness of Anacardium occidentale nuts on kidney function in hyperglycemia diabetic rats. Material and methods: Forty male matured rats weighing 200 ± 20 g were used. Diabetes was induced with a repeated dose (35 mg/kgb.wt) of freshly prepared streptozotocin injected intraperitoneally. The rats were grouped into 5 groups, 8 rats/group. Group I: control: Group II: Diabetic; Group III & IV: Diabetic + 100 mg/kgb.wt & 200 mg/kgb.wt Anacardium occidentale nuts; Group V: Diabetic + 200 mg/kgb.wt metformin. The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed after 21 days of treatment. Blood samples and kidney homogenates were used for biochemical assay. Results: Insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), kidney potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-), bicarbonate (HCO3-), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1B (IL-1β) significantly (p < 0.05) increased in diabetic rats. Body weight, total protein (TP), kidney high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased significantly. Anacardium occidentale nuts administration reduced the insulin, FBG, HbA1c, kidney biomarkers, TG, TC, LDL-C, MDA, TNF-a, IL-6, & IL-1β levels and, improved the body weight, TP, HDL-C, SOD, CAT, and GSH levels. Conclusion: Anacardium occidentale nuts mitigates hyperglycemia and restores kidney function via attenuation of oxidative stress and inflammation in the kidney. It could be used as a novel drug to manage diabetes-associated kidney complications.