Fig. 2

Model adopted to test the experimental design of the study with the DN rat model. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats were developed following conventional methods. The rats were subjected to adaptive feeding for the first week and then fed a high-fat and high-glucose diet (sucrose, 15%; cholesterol, 4%; gallate, 0.3%; lard, 10%; yolk powder, 10%; basal food, 60.7%) until the experimental intervention. Rats were randomized and received either vehicle (saline solution) or Celastrol therapy 2 weeks following the second STZ administration, and a consecutive high-fat and high-glucose diet for 4 weeks. Celastrol (0.5 mg/kg/d or 1.5 mg/kg/d) and LY294002 (1.2 mg/kg/d) were orally administered for 4 weeks. The normal control group underwent the same procedures without therapeutic intervention and were fed a standard diet