Background & aim: Due to increased public interest in the use of herbal medicine, their efficacy and safety evaluation have become important. In some studies, Pistacia atlantica leave (PAL) extract suggested as a hypoglycemic agent. However, there is no study about its effects on diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, the present work was conducted to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of PAL on some biochemical and pathological aspects related to renal function in diabetic rats.

Methods: In the present experimental study, 40 severe diabetes male Wistar rats (180-200 gr) with STZ and eight healthy rats at the same age were equally divided into 6 groups and followed for a period of thirty days as the oral treatment respectively. Diabetic groups I ,II and III received 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of PAL extracts, diabetic group IV received 50 mg/kg Captopril and diabetic group  V and healthy group received saline 0.9% as control groups. Finally, fasting blood glucose (FBG), Urine volume and 24 h urine total protein (UTP), blood nitrogen urea (BUN) and plasma creatinine (Cr) were assessed biochemically and also qualitative renal histomorphological alterations were assessed pathologically. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test.

Results: In diabetic control group the FBS (383.5 ± 118.33), BUN (27.17± 2.86), Cr (1.3 ± 0.45), Urine volume (24.66± 5.10) and UTP (25.67 ± 1.51) of groups 1-5 significantly increased in comparison whit normal control group (p<0.0001 each). In addition:  severe glomerolosclerosis, mesangial matrix expansion and tuft-capsule adhesion were observed in diabetic rats. Unlike captopril, which could significantly reduce the mean level of urea nitrogen (p <0.001; 12.5 ± 2.81), creatinine (p=0.034; 0.97±0.14) and protein (p=0.002: 13.66 ± 3.48) compared with diabetic controls the histology of the group was evaluate and confirmed its moderator effects,

Conclusion: The results clearly demonstrate that PAL did not have any beneficial effects on diabetic nephropathy in rats.