Sodium pyruvate attenuates oxidative stress, lowers ox-LDL and ox-LDL/LDL-P, and mitigates inflammation in diabetic atherosclerotic rats

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of sodium pyruvate against diabetic atherosclerosis in rats by reducing oxidative stress, ox-LDL levels, and inflammatory responses. Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control (NC), diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetic atherosclerosis (DA), and diabetic atherosclerosis treated with sodium pyruvate (DA + SP). Serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C), ox-LDL, low-density lipoprotein particle (LDL-P), the ox-LDL/LDL-P ratio, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. Compared with NC and DM groups, DA rats exhibited increased oxidative stress, lipoprotein abnormalities, and inflammation, evidenced by elevated MDA, RLP-C, ox-LDL, LDL-P, ox-LDL/LDL-P ratio, hs-CRP, and IL-6, along with reduced SOD levels. Sodium pyruvate treatment significantly decreased MDA, ox-LDL, ox-LDL/LDL-P ratio, hs-CRP, and IL-6, while increasing SOD activity compared with the DA group. No significant differences in RLP-C and LDL-P were observed between DA and DA + SP groups. Sodium pyruvate alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation and reduces ox-LDL-related indices, suggesting a protective role in diabetic atherosclerosis.