Protective effect of vanillic acid against diabetes and diabetic nephropathy by attenuating oxidative stress and upregulation of NF‐κB, TNF‐α and COX‐2 proteins in rats

Diabetes is the most prevalent disorder in the world characterized by uncontrolled high blood glucose levels and nephropathy is one of the chief complications allied with hyperglycemia. Vanillic acid; the main bioactive compound derived from natural sources such as vegetables, fruits and plants possesses various pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative. The current study was designed to investigate the antidiabetic and renoprotective effects of vanillic acid by its various pharmacological activities. Streptozotocin (50 mg/kg)/nicotinamide (110 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes in rats. Oral administration of vanillic acid once daily for 6 weeks (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly reduced the hyperglycemia, increased liver enzymes and normalized lipid profile that was altered in diabetic rats. Moreover, vanillic acid attenuated the impaired renal function as evidenced by a reduction in serum creatinine, urea, uric acid and urinary microproteinuria levels with a concomitant increase in urinary creatinine clearance in the nephropathic rats. Diabetic rats showed a marked increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and superoxide anion generation (SAG) along with decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) in the renal tissue which was ameliorated in the vanillic acid-treated rats. Histopathologically, vanillic acid treatment was associated with reduced damage with normalized structural changes in renal tissue. Furthermore, treatment groups showed the suppression of upregulation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 and up-regulation of Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) in the renal tissue. In conclusion, vanillic acid's ameliorative impact on diabetic nephropathic rats may be attributed to its powerful free radical scavenging property, down-regulation of NF-κB, TNF-α, COX-2 and up-regulation of Nrf-2 proteins in renal tissue.