ABSTRACT
Association between obesity and chronic kidney disease has received great attention in the recent years. This study aimed to characterize the efficiency of the Camel's foot tree, Bauhinia variegata L. ethanolic leaves extract (BEX) against kidney damage in high fat diet (HFD) fed male rats, as a model of obesity. Rats were randomly divided into five groups, the first three served as control, vehicle and BEX (40 mg/100 g body wt.), while the other two groups were fed HFD with and without BEX at the same mentioned dose, daily for 12 weeks. Results showed significantly increased weight gain, absolute and relative kidney weights, serum and kidney lipids, accompanied by elevated levels of urea and creatinine in serum of HFD-fed rats. Results also revealed marked reduction of kidney nitric oxide, alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyl transferase, with elevation in their activities in serum of the obese rats. An increase in the oxidative stress markers; malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide, paralleled by reduction of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase and the antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were also detected. This goes with decline of the anti-apoptotic Bcl2 and elevation in the pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-3, followed by increased apoptosis% and cell cycle arrest with decline in cells at S and G2/GM phases. Meanwhile, a significant reduction in RBCs count, Hb content and related indices was demonstrated. In contrast, administration of BEX to HFD-fed rats significantly ameliorated increased weight gain, oxidative stress, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and hematological changes, thereby restored kidney functional parameters near the normal values, suggesting BEX as a promising natural therapy for managing obesity and associated kidney disease.