Preventive effects of polysaccharides from Liriope spicata var. prolifera on diabetic nephropathy in rats

This study was undertaken to investigate preventive effects of polysaccharides (LSP) from Liriope spicata var. prolifera on diabetic nephropathy in rats, which were induced by high fat-fed and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ). The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetic rats were significantly decreased after treated with LSP for 28 days. Additional, the glucose tolerance of diabetes rats showed improvement after administration of LSP. The results also indicated that LSP were able to normalize hyperlipidemia, ameliorate oxidative stress, improve renal function parameters, inhibit the structural damages of kidney tissue and down-regulate the system of advanced glycation end products – receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE). In conclusion, LSP had potential preventive effects on diabetic nephropathy in diabetic rats.