Renoprotective effects of the erucic acid in experimental diabetic nephropathy: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and in silico insights.

UNLABELLED: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the leading microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and a major cause of chronic kidney disease worldwide. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation play central roles in its progression. Erucic acid is a naturally occurring monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid with reported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We evaluated the renoprotective effects of erucic acid in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy in rats using biochemical and histopathological analyses. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (65 mg/kg), followed by oral administration of erucic acid (10 and 20 mg/kg) once daily for 8 weeks. Erucic acid significantly improved glycemic control by reducing blood glucose and HbA1c levels, increasing insulin and adiponectin levels, and decreasing resistin levels. It also ameliorated dyslipidemia by reducing total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increasing HDL levels. Renal function was significantly improved, as evidenced by reduced serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary albumin excretion, and 24-h urine volume, along with increased creatinine clearance and preservation of renal histoarchitecture. Erucic acid restored antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione), reduced malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels, downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), and decreased the renal injury biomarkers KIM-1 and NGAL. These findings demonstrate that erucic acid exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and renoprotective effects against STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy and may represent a promising therapeutic candidate for diabetic kidney disease. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-026-05041-1.