Probiotics Reduces Azotemia in Gottingen Minipigs
TNatarajan Ranganathan1, Beena Patel1, Pari Ranganathan1, Joseph Marczely1, Rahul Dheer1, Tushar Chordia1 and Zhigang Yang2, Eli A Friedman2
Kibow Biotech Inc., Philadelphia, PA | 2SUNY- Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
3rd World Congress of Nephrology poster Presentation, June 26 – 30, 2005, Singapore
Previously we have demonstrated that oral administration of Kibow Biotics extended life of 5/6th nephrectomized rats. Two-four weeks post-nephrectomy, 13 Gottingen minipigs with mild to moderate azotemia were assigned to two cohorts. Cohort 1 comprised seven minipigs with mild blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level 52.0±18.4 mg/dl. Three minipigs were fed Kibow BioticsÒ (treatment subgroup), while the remaining formed the placebo subgroup (no Kibow BioticsÒ). Cohort 2 comprised six pigs with moderate BUN level 104.2±40.0 mg/dl, three of which received Kibow BioticsÒ while the remaining three formed the placebo subgroup.
Body weight (BW), BUN, serum creatinine (Scr) and hematocrit levels (Hct %) were measured at regular intervals throughout the study. No effect of probiotic was noted in Cohort 1 with no significant difference (p=0.42) in BUN when compared to the placebo subgroup. All minipigs in both subgroups survived the study. By contrast, the placebo subgroup in Cohort 2 evinced a significant increase (p=0.009) in BUN after 2-4 weeks (150±0 mg/dl), when compared to the treatment group (75.1±37.9 mg/dl), all minipigs died in placebo group in four-week. Probiotics fed showed a significant (p=0.0016) decrease in BUN levels from 95.3±13.6 to 45.0±5.0 mg/dl after 8 weeks, and all survived.
No significant differences (p>0.01) in BW, Scr and Hct % were found, when placebo subgroups in both cohorts were compared. However, placebo minipigs in Cohort 2 showed decrease in body weight from 9.98±0.03 to 7.72±1.84 kg, with Hct% of 20.92±9.66 and Scr of 2.33±0.21 mg/dl. Surviving minipigs in Cohort 2 showed increase in body weight from 9.64±0.82 to 10.41±1.46 kg, with stable Hct% of 31±3.52 and Scr of 4.51±3.03 mg/dl. We conclude that probiotics fed as a daily treatment have the potential to decrease BUN levels and prolong survival in renal insufficiency. Study suggests further confirmation in larger trials.