Abstract:Objective To verify the protective effect of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) on the kidneys of the rats with diabetes mellitus (DM), and discuss the possible mechanism. Methods Diabetic rat models were established and divided into DM group and ALA group. Meanwhile, a normal control (NC) group was set. After 6 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to detect the relevant biochemical parameters and oxidative stress indexes, and the pathological changes of the kidneys were observed. In addition, immunohistochemical staining and Western blot were employed to detect the expressions of TGF-β1, SnoN, collagen I and collagen IV proteins in the rat renal tissues. Results Compared with the NC group, the kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW), blood glucose (BG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and 24-h urine protein were remarkably increased in the DM group, all the items but BG were significantly reduced in the ALA group. Compared with the NC group, the activity of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and catalase (CAT) was significantly reduced whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) content was increased in the DM group. Compared with the DM group, the activity of T-AOC, T-SOD and CAT were remarkably increased, while MDA content was reduced in the ALA group. Pathological examination on the kidneys indicated that renal tissue presented fibrosis changes in the DM group, renal fibrosis was obviously alleviated in the ALA group. Compared with the NC group, the levels of TGF-β1, collagen I and collagen IV in the kidneys were increased, whereas the level of SnoN was reduced in the DM group. Compared with the DM group, the levels of TGF-1, collagen I and collagen IV in the kidneys were reduced, while the level of SnoN was increased in the ALA group. Conclusions ALA may protect the kidneys of diabetic rats from injury by oxidative stress through enhancing the antioxidant ability, increasing the levels of SnoN protein, then inhibiting TGF-β1 signaling pathway and reducing the deposition of extracellular matrix.