Supplementation with selenium nanoparticles alleviates diabetic nephropathy during pregnancy in the diabetic female rats

The bioactivity of nanoparticles has engendered a promise in scientific communities for developing novel therapeutic strategies. This study investigated the protective effects of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) against kidney injury in streptozocin-induced diabetes during pregnant (DDP) rats. The female rats were separated into three groups (n = 8). Group 1 received the vehicle, normal saline. Group 2 received a single intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg of streptozocin. Group 3 received a single intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozocin, followed by treatment with SeNPs at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg twice a week for 6 weeks (1 week before gestation and continuing for 5 additional weeks). The structure formed by the fabricated SeNPs with citric acid in the presence of ascorbic acid indicated that nano-Se was associated with a carbon matrix. The diabetic group suffered from polyuria, a reduction in body weight, delayed gestation, and only 40% successful pregnancy compared with the control rats. Interestingly, SeNPs significantly reduced the rate of urination, accelerated the start of gestation, and increased the percentage of successful pregnancy in females with DM. Severe changes were observed in the pancreatic β-cells of the diabetic rats, with darkly stained and fragmented chromatin in nuclei, while SeNPs partially restored the normal morphological features of the pancreatic β-cells. The concentrations of urea, creatinine, MDA, and glucose were significantly increased in the diabetic rats, while GSH was significantly reduced compared with controls. Interestingly, SeNPs restored all of these parameters to values at or near control levels. SeNPs were capable of improving the histological structure of the kidney in mothers with DDP. Hence, the present work is relevant to GDM demonstrating SeNPs shielding the kidney structure and function in vivo.