Plantain flour – A beneficial material for the organ and transcriptional profile of kidney of diabetic rats

Abstract

This study investigated the ameliorative effects of plantain flour on the organs of diabetic rats, and explored the mechanism from the perspective of kidney transcription. Diabetes was induced in rats by streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-sugar and high-fat diet. The alleviation effects and molecular mechanism of diabetes by plantain flour at different doses (1 g/kg·Bw, 2 g/kg·Bw, and 4 g /kg·Bw) were evaluated based on the analysis of biochemical indicators, histological observations, homeostasis model, and kidney transcriptome. The findings demonstrated that the intervention of plantain flour can reduce the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urea (UREA). The pathological study revealed that plantain flour can alleviate the pathological symptoms of fat accumulation in liver and kidney tissue. According to the homeostasis model, plantain flour was able to reduce insulin resistance in diabetic rats. Transcriptome analysis showed that plantain flour improved dyslipidemia by up-regulating Acsl1, down-regulating Fabp4 and Plin1, and reduced kidney injury by up-regulating Slco1a6, Hsd17b2, Cyp2c24, and Cyp2c11 genes. These results suggested that plantain flour could improve the organ damage caused by diabetes and has the potential to be developed into healthy food.