2008 Volume 25 Pages 91-95
Recently, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been estimated to affect about 20 million people in Japan. CKD is associated with a several fold increased risk of arteriosclerosis related disease. Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) contain many nutrients and are used widely in Japan. Oyster extract contains major components including minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and amino acids. Various effects on health maintenance and life-style related diseases of oyster extracts have been reported so far. The present study evaluated the preventive effects of oyster extract on the formation of chemically induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Rats fed an AIN-93G modified diet containing oyster extract (1.0 %) After 6 weeks, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with p-aminophenol (PAP, 0.5 mmol/kg body weight). Urine was collected before and after injection, and the kidney was removed at 48 h after injection.
Dietary oyster extract caused a decrease in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), return to the normal levels of urine volume, urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity, and creatinine concentration, and reduction in the severity of tubular basophilic change and nuclear division in tubular epithelium compared with control diets. However, the severity of tubular necrosis and tubular basophilic change in the midzone area and vacuolar degeneration in renal and arcuate arteries were not significantly different. Dietary oyster extract recovered proximal tubular epithelial cell function in PAP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.
