Histological Effects of Whey Protein Isolate on Rat Kidney

Abstract

Aim: Whey protein is a complete protein that contains more amount of branched chain amino acids than other structural proteins. Histological changes in long-term use of this protein in kidney tissue have not been studied yet. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the histological parameters in the kidney tissue of rats given whey protein isolate regularly for a month.

Material and Method: This study was carried out using 30 Wistar Albino male rats weighing 250-300 g in Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Faculty of Medicine, Physiology Department and Histology and Embryology Department. Control, sham and whey protein groups were divided into 3 groups with 10 rats in each group. While no application was made to the control group, 1 mL of tap water was given to sham group and 6 g/kg/day of whey protein was dissolved in 1 mL of tap water then given to whey protein group for 1 month. Hematoxylin-Eosin, PAS and Masson-Trichrome staining were performed to examine general morphological changes in kidney tissue. Tissues were immunohistochemically stained to evaluate IL-6, FGF-1, p53 expressions in kidneys.

Results: Although mild mesengial matrix dilatations were seen in the whey protein group, no other pathology was observed in this group and other groups. IL-6 and FGF-1 dyes in the whey protein group showed a statistically significant increase compared to other groups (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Histological and morphological changes were not observed in the kidneys of the rats given whey protein. However, increased levels of IL-6 and FGF-1 expressions are important in terms of being a guide in the physiopathological experimental animal modelings.