Garden cress powder (GCP) considered as an important medicinal plant and widely grown in several countries including Egypt.whereas it has a high content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The objective of this study were assessed the potential therapeutic effects of Garden cress on nephropathy induced by gentamicin in diabetic rats. Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into two main groups. Group I: negative control (6 rats) and group II(24 rats): nephropathy diabetic rats group were given a single dose via intraperitoneal injection of 65 mg / kg body weight of streptozotocin (STZ). Then, nephropathy was induced in diabetic rats via intraperitoneally injection daily of gentamicin (GM) 85 mg /kg body weight for 8 days. Nephropathy diabetic rats group were divided into four subgroups (6 rats each) as follow: First (control positive group), second, third and fourth group received basal diet with 5, 7.5 and 10 % of GCP, respectively. Results showed that GCP contained high amount of potassium(2950.36 g/100g), Phosphorus (944.33 g/100g), and phenolics compounds as gallic (3010.75 µg/100g), ellagic (1466.92 µg/100g) , protocatechuic (588.23 µg/100g), chlorogenic (556.75 µg/100g) , coumarin(519.52 µg/100g) and iso- ferulic( 545.34 µg/100g). Feeding nephropathy diabetic rats on a daily diet containing powder of garden cress with 5, 7.5 and 10% of standard diet produced a marked reduction in the serum levels of glucose, liver and kidney functions and malondialdehyde ( MDA) levels as well as elevation in the activity of glutathione transferase( GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione pyroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT ) and serum insulin levels compared to positive control group. While, supplemented diet rats with 10% of GCP was more effective in improving the previous parameters.
In conclusion, The study concluded that garden cress powder has hypoglycemic potent effects and improve renal damage induced by gentamicin in diabetic rats. So it is advice to add GCP to daily diet for kidney patients.