Evidence of the nephroprotective effect of Carica papaya L. leaves in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Protection against diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the main targets in diabetes treatment and present study evaluates the nephroprotective effect of Carica papaya L. in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. DN rats were treated with 1.5 and 2.5 gm/dl C. papaya leaf extract for 6 weeks to determine its nephroprotective effect with different parameters. Pimagedine (1 ml/mg) served as a reference drug. Compared to diabetic control group, C. papaya (1.5 and 2.5 gm/dl) treatment significantly decreased some important parameters including plasma glucose, HbA1-c, urinary AER and albumin/creatinine ratio. Improvement in GFR was also significant by C. papaya. However, the decrease in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), plasma creatinine, blood pressure (B.P), total cholesterol and serum albumin levels were significant only in diabetic group treated with 2.5 gm/dl of C. papaya leaf extract. Serum triglyceride and urine volume decreased with both low and high doses of C. papaya. Histological examination revealed marked improvement in glomerular morphology after C. papaya treatment. The study concludes that C. papaya leaf extract may exert ameliorative effect on DN.