Type 1 Diabetes Case Study

The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) as well as its associated risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end stage renal disease (ESRD) are on the rise. T1D is an autoimmune disease in which insulin producing beta cells are destroyed. T1D is manifested as increased expression of inflammatory proteins, elevated glucose concentrations, and decreased insulin levels. Increased incidence of T1D has been suggested to be a result of environmental factors such as exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) is a PAH that has been associated with the onset of early diabetic symptoms. This study was conducted to identify if 2AA dietary ingestion would induce T1D renal injuries. To accomplish the research objective, three weeks old male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned into three 2AA dietary ingestion groups (0 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) for twelve weeks.

Further experiments involving the analysis of serum glucose, creatinine concentration, albumin-creatinine ratio, and expression of inflammatory and renal injury gene markers were performed. The Sprague Dawley rats in the 100 mg/kg group gained 5% less weight than the other treatment groups and converted roughly 3% more of their food intake into body mass. The kidney weight per body weight of the 100 mg/kg treatment group was 30.1% greater than the control group. Creatinine concentration of the 100 mg/kg group was 46.2% greater than the control group. These results suggest that 2AA may induce the early diabetic renal injuries of hyperfiltration and microalbuminuria, however, further studies utilizing urine analysis, glomerular filtration assessments, greater 2AA concentrations, different delivery methods, longer trials, and ELISA should be conducted to further assess the effect of 2AA on diabetic