Bone marrow-derived c-kit positive stem cell administration protects against diabetes-induced nephropathy in a rat model by reversing PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β pathway and inhibiting cell apoptosis.

Stem cell-based therapy has been proposed as a novel therapeutic strategy for diabetic nephropathy. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of systemic administration of rat bone marrow-derived c-kit positive (c-kit) cells on diabetic nephropathy in male rats, focusing on PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β pathway and apoptosis as a possible therapeutic mechanism. Twenty-eight animals were randomly classified into four groups: Control group (C), diabetic group (D), diabetic group, intravenously received 50 μl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 3 × 10 c-kit cells (D + ckit); and diabetic group, intravenously received 50 μl PBS containing 3 × 10 c-Kit positive cells (D + ckit). Control and diabetic groups intravenously received 50 μl PBS. C-kit cell therapy could reduce renal fibrosis, which was associated with attenuation of inflammation as indicated by decreased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the kidney tissue. In addition, c-kit cells restored the expression levels of PI3K, pAKT, and GSK-3β proteins. Furthermore, renal apoptosis was decreased following c-kit cell therapy, evidenced by the lower apoptotic index in parallel with the increased Bcl-2 and decreased Bax and Caspase-3 levels. Our results showed that in contrast to c-kit cells, the administration of c-kit cells ameliorate diabetic nephropathy and suggested that c-kit cells could be an alternative cell source for attenuating diabetic nephropathy.