1. The effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor (Epalrestat) on diabetic nephropathy in rats
- Author
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Iori Itagaki, Kazuhiko Ebata, Yukio Shigeta, Yoshihisa Kamanaka, Masakazu Haneda, Kiyoshi Shimizu, and Ryuichi Kikkawa
- Subjects
Blood Glucose ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Rhodanine ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Renal function ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Kidney ,Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ,Renal Circulation ,Diabetic nephropathy ,Rats, Sprague-Dawley ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Endocrinology ,Polyol pathway ,Aldehyde Reductase ,Internal medicine ,Diabetes mellitus ,Internal Medicine ,medicine ,Albuminuria ,Animals ,Diabetic Nephropathies ,Epalrestat ,business.industry ,Body Weight ,General Medicine ,Organ Size ,medicine.disease ,Streptozotocin ,Aldose reductase inhibitor ,Glomerular Mesangium ,Rats ,chemistry ,Renal blood flow ,Thiazolidines ,business ,medicine.drug ,Glomerular Filtration Rate - Abstract
In order to clarify the possible contribution of the abnormal polyol pathway to the development of diabetic nephropathy, the effect of aldose reductase inhibitor on renal function and morphology was examined in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Six months after STZ injection, glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow showed marked decline with significant increase in nuclear-free mesangial area (MA) and relative mesangial area (RMA; MA per glomerular area) in diabetic rats. Oral administration of an aldose reductase inhibitor, Epalrestat, prevented renal hypofunction and mesangial expansion in diabetic rats without influencing the levels of blood glucose. These results suggest that the abnormal polyol pathway in diabetic rats is closely related to the development of mesangial expansion, a morphologic representative of diabetic glomerulopathy, and renal hypofunction.
- Published
- 1994