The effect of trehalose sugar administration on renal impairment prevention by assessing Cystatin-C level

Background: Cystatin-C is a cysteine protease produced by the human body, which is easily filtered by the kidney glomeruli and can be used as a Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) test. Several studies have shown that Cystatin-C may be more sensitive to mild reductions in mild impaired renal function than serum creatinine. This study aimed to determine the effect of trehalose sugar administration on renal impairment in the aging process by assessing Cystatin-C levels in old rats. Patients and methods: We conducted experimental research with pretest-posttest design with control group design using Wistar rats (Rattus novergicus) aged 12-18 months, a total of 27 rats were divided into three groups, namely the control group, 2% trehalose and 2% sucrose. Blood samples were taken before and after the intervention for 8 weeks to assess Cystatin-C levels using the ELISA technique. Results: There was a significant difference in Cystatin-C levels between the control with 2% sucrose and 2% trehalose with 2% sucrose (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the control and 2% trehalose (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study concluded that trehalose effectively suppresses the increase in Cystatin-C levels as an indicator of decreased renal function compared to sucrose.