Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global epidemic with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Effective preventive strategies are urgently needed. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nutraceutical components, a fermented soybean product (ImmuBalance, IMB) and an oligo-lactic acid product (LAP), on the prevention of adenine-induced CKD in mice. Female C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into following experimental groups: negative control; model control; and models treated with IMB at 250 or 1000 mg/kg body weight (BW), LAP at 1000 or 2000 mg/kg BW, and IMB/LAP combinations. The CKD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of adenine daily for 4 weeks, and treatments started 2 weeks before adenine injection and ended after 10 weeks. Compared with the model control, the treatments did not significantly alter the body weight or food intake. Both IMB and LAP, especially their combination, significantly inhibited tubular dilation, tubulointerstitial degeneration or atrophy, interstitial chronic inflammation and acute inflammation in the kidneys of CKD mice, and significantly decreased serum cystatin C levels. IMB or LAP significantly reversed CKD-associated increases of circulating and kidney levels of inflammatory cytokines, circulating levels of kidney injury biomarkers, and kidney levels of stem cell biomarkers, and significantly reversed CKD-associated reduction of cecum Clostridium leptum group. Our results suggest that dietary supplementation of IMB or LAP may significantly delay the development and/or progression of CKD.
Keywords: chronic kidney disease; fermented soybean; gut microbiota; inflammation; oligo-lactic acid; stem cells.