Additive effects of dietary glycotoxins and androgen excess on the kidney of a female rat model

Abstract

Background: Dietary glycotoxins and androgen excess have been independently associated with a negative influence on the kidney. There are no data concerning the additive effects of these two factors on the kidney function and structure, in females. The present study aims to investigate the effect of dietary glycotoxins and androgen excess on the kidneys of an androgenized female rat model. Methods: The study involved 80 female Wistar rats divided into 3 groups. The animals from group A were androgenized at 4 weeks of age (n = 30), rats of group B were androgenized at 12–20 weeks of age (n = 20) and group C consisted of non-androgenized animals (n = 30). All groups were further randomly assigned, either to a high-Advanced Glycation End product diet (HA diet) or low-AGE diet (LA diet), for 3 months. Results: The rats fed with HA diet had significantly higher serum creatinine levels (p ⩽ 0.0002), when compared with those fed with LA diet. The androgenized group fed with HA diet exhibited higher levels of serum AGE (p = 0.0005), creatinine levels (p < 0.0001) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (p ⩽ 0.002), when compared with the non-androgenized group fed with HA diet. AGE immunoreactivity was higher on the renal tubules of the androgenized animals fed with HA diet, when compared with the animals fed with LA diet, but did not significantly differ among the two groups. Conclusions: The above mentioned data suggest that dietary glycotoxins, in combination with increased androgen exposure, exert a more profound negative impact on the kidney of an androgenized female rat model that mimics the metabolic characteristics of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Keywords

• Glycotoxins
• AGEs
• Kidney
• Androgens
• PCOS