Protective effect of pine pollen on renal mitochondrial DNA in a model of mice with subacute aging induced by D-galactose

Objective To study the protective effect of pine pollen on renal mitochondrial DNA in a model of mice with subacute aging and its mechanism. Methods Thirty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into young control group,aging model group,and pine pollen group（n=10）.Mice in the aging model and pine pollen groups received subcutaneous injection with 5% D-galactose（100mg/kg） daily to induce a subacute aging model of mice,mice in the young control group were given normal saline,and mice in the pine pollen group were given pine pollen（750mg/kg） daily.Enema was performed with normal saline in mice of the young control and aging model groups on the day when the model was established for 50 days.Then,pathological changes in kidney were then observed,and relative level of mtDNA and MDA and activity of SOD in kidney tissues were measured. Results Pine pollen ameliorated the pathological changes,reduced the relative mtDNA and MDA level in kidney,and increased the SOD activity in the aging mice（P＜0.05）. Conclusion Pine pollen can delay the kidney aging by reducing its oxidative damage and protecting its mtDNA.