To study the preventive effect of supplemented chromium picolinate (CrPic) on the development of diabetic nephropathy in mice,
we analyzed the effects of CrPic supplementation on renal function and concentrations of serum glucose and tissue chromium
(Cr). In experiment 1, male KK-Ay obese diabetic mice were fed either a control diet (control) or a diet supplemented with
2 mg/kg diet (Cr2) or 10 mg/kg diet (Cr10) of Cr for 12 wk. Cr10 significantly ameliorated hyperglycemia after a glucose load,
creatinine clearance rates, and urinary microalbumin levels (
p<0.05). In experiment 2, the Cr10 diet was fed to male KK-Ay obese diabetic mice and C57BL nondiabetic mice for 4 wk. The
CrPic diet reduced urinary albumin excretion in the diabetic mice (
p<0.05). Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the renal Cr content and the recovery of renal
Cr concentration after Cr supplementation were significantly lower in the diabetic mice than in the nondiabetic mice (
p<0.01). These observations suggest that Cr supplementation of type 2 diabetic mice reduces the symptoms of hyperglycemia and
improves the renal function by recovering renal Cr concentration.
Index Entries KK-Ay - chromium picolinate - diabetes - renal function - ICP-MS - hyperglycemia