Department of Medicine , Juntendo University School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan .
J Lab Clin Med 123 : 763-8 ( 1994)
Abstract
We have previously reported that the mRNA levels of endothelin ( ET-1 ) , tumor necrosis factor-alpha ) , ( TNF-alpha ) , platelet-derived growth factor ( PDGF)-B chain , transforming growth factor ( TGF-beta ) , and basic fibroblast growth factor ( bFGF ) all increased with age in diabetic rat glomeruli .
We have now assessed the effect of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril on the expression of the ET-1 , TNF-alpha , PDGF-B , TGF-beta , and bFGF genes in 24-week-old rat glomeruli after streptozotocin injection .
Animals were divided into controls , enalapril-treated diabetic rats , and untreated diabetic rats .
Treatment continued for 24 weeks .
Enalapril reduced both creatinine clearance ( p < ; . 001 ) and urinary protein excretion ( p < ; 0.01 ) in diabetic rats .
Enalapril produced a nonsignificant 15 mm Hg reduction in blood pressure in diabetic rats .
Enalapril also attenuated the increases in ET-1 mRNA levels observed in the glomeruli of diabetic rats ( 0.5-fold compared with untreated diabetic rats at 24 weeks [ p < ; 0.01 ] ) but had no effect on increased mRNA levels of TNF-alpha , PDGF-B , TGF-beta , and bFGF .
These findings suggest that enalapril therapy may be effective in reducing ET-1 mRNA expression in the glomeruli of diabetic nephropathy .