Effects of islet organoid transplantation combined with Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide on blood glucose and urinary albumin in rats with diabetic nephropathy

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effects of islet organoid transplantation combined with intragastric administration of Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide on fasting blood glucose (FBG) and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in rats with diabetic nephropathy, and to preliminarily evaluate the ameliorative effect of the combined intervention on diabetic nephropathy.Methods: Thirty-two male SD rats were selected, and a diabetic nephropathy rat model was established using a high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin (STZ). The experiment included a normal group, a model group, an islet organoid transplantation group (transplantation group), and an islet organoid transplantation combined with Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide group (combination group), with 8 rats in each group. Before transplantation, the islet organoids were identified by morphologic observation, dithizone (DTZ) staining, and Western blot analysis. The transplantation group received islet organoid transplantation, and the combination group received intragastric administration of Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide on the basis of transplantation, with continuous intervention for 8 weeks. FBG was measured in each group at weeks 0, 4, and 8 of the intervention, and UACR was measured at weeks 0 and 8; the changes in the indicators were compared among groups. Results: The islet organoids exhibited spherical islet-like structures, showed positive DTZ staining, and expressed β-cell-related proteins, indicating that they possessed an islet-like cell cluster structure and β-cell characteristics. Compared with the normal group, FBG and UACR were elevated in the model group. After 8 weeks of intervention, compared with the model group, FBG and UACR in the transplantation and combination groups showed decreasing trends, with a more pronounced decrease in the combination group, suggesting that the combined intervention may have certain advantages in improving glucose metabolic disorders and reducing urinary albumin excretion. Conclusion: Islet organoid transplantation combined with Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide led to decreasing trends in FBG and UACR in rats with diabetic nephropathy, with a better improvement trend than islet organoid transplantation alone, suggesting that the combined intervention may have potential effects in regulating blood glucose, reducing urinary albumin excretion, and alleviating diabetes-related renal injury, providing preliminary experimental evidence for the combined intervention in diabetic nephropathy; its exact efficacy and mechanisms still require further research and verification.