The association between
hypercholesterolemia and kidney damage has been well known for last few decades. The oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are involved in renal injury, which is upregulated in hypercholesterolemic condition. The present study is aimed to evaluate the possible effect of
lupeol and its
ester derivative,
lupeol linoleate in renal damage associated with hypercholesterolemic rats.
Hypercholesterolemia was induced in male Wistar rats by feeding them with a high
cholesterol diet (HCD) comprising normal rat chow supplemented with 4%
cholesterol and 1%
cholic acid for 30 days.
Lupeol and
lupeol linoleate were supplemented (50 mg/kg body wt/day) to HCD fed rats during the last 15 days. Increased levels of renal total
cholesterol,
triglycerides and
phospholipids, along with altered serum biochemical parameters of tissue injury indices and elevated activities of renal marker
enzymes (
lactate dehydrogenase and
alkaline phosphatase) were noted in HCD fed rats. Elevated lipid peroxidation levels coupled with decreased
antioxidant status (enzymatic and non enzymatic
antioxidants) were observed in hypercholesterolemic rats, which indicate the onset of oxidative changes in the renal tissue. Renal lysosomal
acid hydrolase activities (ACP, beta-Glu, beta-Gal, NAG and Cat-D) and
acute phase proteins like
C-Reactive protein and
fibrinogen were significantly increased in HCD fed rats, which further indicates the heightening of
inflammation. In addition, histopathological findings also confirmed the renal damage in hypercholesterolemic condition.
Lupeol and
lupeol linoleate effectively reverted the above abnormalities and was comparable with that of the control. These observations highlight the protective effect of
lupeol and its
ester derivative in ameliorating the renal injury associated with
hypercholesterolemia.