Myocardial effects of a low-protein diet in experimental kidney dysfunction

THE AIM: to evaluate the effect of low protein diet supplemented with ketosteril on morphological and epigenomic changes in the myocardium of Wistar rats with simulated kidney dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The work was performed on male Wistar rats subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy (NE). The first group after NE received a standard diet (20.16% animal protein), the second – low protein diet (LPD), including 10% ketosteril. Control rats received a standard diet. After 4 months, blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were assessed in rats, and a histological examination of the myocardium was performed. In the myocardium, the relative expression levels of NF-kB, miRNA-21, miRNA-133, and miRNA-203 were determined. RESULTS. After 4 months in rats with NE on a standard diet, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in the mass index of the LV myocardium was recorded. MBD with the inclusion of 10% Ketosteril slowed down the growth of systolic blood pressure and the development of LV myocardial hypertrophy in rats with kidney dysfunction. At the histological level, the use of LPD provided a decrease in the degree of hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes and degenerative changes in cardiomyocytes. Animals treated with LPD had less pronounced diffuse and perivascular fibrosis compared with animals fed normal food. The use of MBD slowed down the increase in the relative level of expression of the NFκB gene and miRNA-21 in the myocardium of rats with NE and promoted an increase in the expression level of miRNA-133 and miRNA-203 compared to the indices of animals with NE that received standard food. CONCLUSION: long-term use of LPD with the use of ketoanalogues of essential amino acids can have a potential cardioprotective effect in CKD, slowing down the growth of blood pressure, an increase in LV myocardial mass and the formation of structural changes in the myocardium. It is possible that a decrease in the expression of NF-kB and miRNA-21, as well as an increase in the expression of miRNA-203 and 133 in the myocardium, can play a significant role in this. 

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