Attenuation of the activated mammalian target of rapamycin pathway might be associated with renal function reserve by a low-protein diet in the rat remnant kidney model.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a regulator of cellular protein synthesis and cell growth, plays an important role in the progression of renal hypertrophy and renal dysfunction in experimental chronic kidney disease models. Because the mTOR activity is regulated by nutrients including amino acids, we tested the hypothesis that the renoprotective effect of a low-protein diet (LPD) might be associated with the attenuation of the renal mTOR pathway. In this study, 5/6 nephrectomized rats were fed an LPD or a normal protein diet (NPD), and a number of rats that were fed an NPD received rapamycin (1.