Objective:This study was undertaken to evaluate the protective effect of aliskiren on renal disease progression in diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods: Twenty-one adult albino rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the normal control group (NC) injected with citrate buffer,the diabetic control group (DC)injected with streptozotocin (STZ) (60mg/kg I.P), andthe aliskiren treated group (AT),injected with STZ (60mg/kg I.P) and received aliskiren (10 mg/kg orally daily for 8 weeks). At the end of 8th weeks, blood& urine samples were collected for measurements of random blood sugar (RBS), HbA1c, renal function parameters,malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH). Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and histopathological assessment of degree of renal damage also performed.

Results: Compared to DC group, there is a significant decrease in the levels of blood urea (40.1±2.31), uric acid (4.13±0.191), serum creatinine (0.89±0.074), albuminuria (27.4±2.03), andMDA(1.21±0.013) in the ATgroup,(p≤0.05). Expression of renal MCP-1 significantly decreased associated with a significant reduction in glomerular lesion in AT group compared to NC group (p<0.001).

Conclusion: We concluded that aliskiren is helpful in reducing lipid peroxidation, improvingrenal function and reducingrenal expression of inflammatory markers and consequently reduces the progression of diabetic nephropathy.