BCc1 Nanomedicine Therapeutic Effects in Streptozotocin and High-Fat Diet Induced Diabetic Kidney Disease

Background: One common feature of chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD), is the disruption of iron metabolism and increase in labile iron pool, which can result in excessive production of harmful oxidative stress. The proper management of iron metabolism in this situation can be a valuable tool to ameliorate pathological events. Materials and Methods: In the previous studies, the anti-neoplastic effects of BCc1, a nanochelating-based nanomedicine with iron-chelating property, were demonstrated in cell culture, animal models and clinical trials. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of BCc1 in animal model of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), induced by streptozotocin injection (35 mg/kg) and high-fat diet consumption, were evaluated. Results: The results showed that BCc1 significantly decreased HOMA-IR index, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, malondialdehyde and 8-isoprostane. In addition, it reduced urinary albumin excretion rate and albumin-to-creatinine ratio in comparison to DKD control rats. This nanomedicine had no negative impact on liver iron content, hemoglobin level, red blood cell count, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume, while it significantly decreased aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase compared to DKD control group. Moreover, the histopathological assessment indicated that lesser glomerular basement membrane and wrinkling, mesangial matrix expansion and pathological changes in proximal cortical tubules were seen in the kidney samples of BCc1-treated rats. Conclusion: In conclusion, BCc1 as an iron-chelating agent shows promising impacts in DKD animal model, which can ameliorate biochemical and pathological events of this disease.