Possible Role of Empagliflozin in Ameliorating Structural Changes of the Renal Cortex Caused by Alloxan-Induced Diabetes in Adult Male Albino Rats

Background: The renal cortex plays a chief role in blood filtration. Diabetic patients are at risk of developing kidney disease. Empagliflozin is efficient in lowering blood glucose levels. The work aimed to evaluate empagliflozin in ameliorating the renal cortical changes caused by alloxan-induced diabetes. Material and methods: 24 adult male albino rats, aged three months, weighing 200-250 g, were randomly, equally divided into group I (control group), received no treatment, group II (sham group) received 10 mg empagliflozin/kg b.w./day, orally via gavage for 8 weeks, group III (diabetic group) received a single intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg alloxan/kg b.w., and group IV (DM+Empagliflozin-treated group) received 10 mg empagliflozin/kg b.w./day, orally via gavage for 8 weeks, starting two days after induction of diabetes by a single intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg alloxan/kg b.w. At the designated time, all rats were anaesthetized, sacrificed, and the kidneys were extracted and processed for histological, immunohistochemical, and morphometric studies. Results: The diabetic group revealed a mixture of hypertrophied and degenerated glomeruli, thickened glomerular basement membrane, tubular degeneration, a significant decrease in area % and optical density of connexin-43 and Nrf2 immunoreactivity, and a significant increase in area % of PAS, Masson’s trichrome, and Sirius red staining, as well as area % and optical density of caspase-3 immunoreactivity in comparison to the control. Empagliflozin markedly ameliorated these changes. Conclusion: Alloxan-induced diabetes has an injurious impact on the renal cortex. Empagliflozin could be beneficial in ameliorating these changes.