Oleanolic acid prevents progression of streptozotocin induced diabetic nephropathy and protects renal microstructures in Sprague Dawley rats.

Objective: To study the effect of oleanolic acid (OA) on streptozotocin induced diabetic nephropathy in Sprague Dawley rats.

Materials And Methods: Four weeks after intra-peritoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 55 mg/kg), the rats with proteinuria were grouped as: Control (non-diabetic, treated orally with vehicle), diabetic control (treated orally with vehicle) and three diabetic groups receiving 20, 40 and 60 mg/kg/day oral doses of OA. At the end of 8 weeks, urine and serum samples from the rats were processed for determination of creatinine, BUN and GFR.