URTICA PILULIFERA UPREGULATES THE EXPRESSION OF HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN (HSP70) IN KIDNEYS OF DIABETIC RATS

U. pilulifera has been used by people to treat various diseases including diabetes. There is a need to study cellular mechanisms associated with U. pilulifera. The purpose of the present study was to study the effects of the extract of U. pilulifera on the expression of HSP70 in the kidneys of diabetic rats. U. pilulifera was collected from various places in Jordan, air dried and extracted by Soxhlet cold extractor using absolute methanol as solvent and remained for three consecutive days. Extracted juice was kept in refrigerator at 4°C. Diabetes was induced through administration of alloxan 150 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally. Study model included 4 groups: control group, diabetic group, diabetic group treated with 1.25 mg/kg body weight, and diabetic group treated with 1.88 mg/kg body weight. Study findings showed that diabetes lowered the expression of HSP70 significantly (P 0.000) compared with control group in kidneys. Treatment with either dose of U. pilulifera increased the expression of HSP70 significantly in kidney tissue. Taken together, diabetic patients can benefit from U. pilulifera to cope with oxidative stress attributed to diabetes