No abstract

SUMMARYThis study was designed to determine whether the diabetic BioBreeding rat develops significant renal injury following long-term moderate to severe hyperglycaemia. Diabetic and control rats were followed from the onset of diabetes (2-4 months) to 18 months of age. Frank proteinuria and/or albuminuria were always absent. Glomerular filtration rate, measured by inulin clearance (ml min-' (100 g body weight)-1), was significantly higher in diabetic rats than in controls at 10, 12 and 18 months of age. Advanced glycosylation end-product cross-links assessed by percentage solubility of tail tendon collagen were moderately increased in diabetic compared with control animals. Urinary excretion of advanced glycosylation end-products in unfractionated urine and in urine fractionated for low molecular mass peptides (< 10 kDa) was 11-fold greater in the diabetic rats than in the control group. Urinary excretion of nitric oxide metabolites (nmol NO2 and NO3-(24 h)-1) were significantly (P < 0.05) greater in diabetic rats than in controls after 8 months of age. Mild histopathology resembling human diabetic nephropathy, including increased mesangial volume and glomerular basement membrane thickness, was detected at 18 months of age. The findings of hyperfiltration and mild glomerular morphological changes in diabetic BioBreeding rats are similar to the abnormalities seen in stage 2 human diabetic nephropathy. We hypothesize that two factors which may contribute to the resistance or tolerance to renal injury in the BioBreeding diabetic rat are increased nitric oxide production and the decreased accumulation of advanced glycosylation end-products.

The recent development of a transgenic rat strain bearing the mouse ren-2 renin gene [TGR(mRen2)27] has provided a new monogenetic model of hypertension. Other hypertensive rat strains are characterized by a blunted pressure-diuresis-natriuresis response such that higher renal perfusion pressures are required to excrete normal amounts of water and sodium. Dysfunction of the renin-angiotensin and nitric oxide systems may cause in this abnormality. This study examined the effect of enalapril on the pressure-natriuresis response and urinary nitric oxide metabolite excretion in 6-month-old TGR(mRen2)27 rats. The slope of the line relating renal perfusion pressure and urine flow rate in TGR (0.08 ± 0.01 µl · min^-1 · g kidney weight^-1 · mm Hg^-1) was significantly lower than that in control rats (0.15+0.01 µl·min^-1 g kidney weight^-1 mm Hg^-1). Pressure-natriuresis responses were also shifted to higher pressure levels in TGR. Treatment with enalapril for 3 months lowered the mean arterial pressure from 94 ± 2 to 84 ± 4 mm Hg in control rats and from 146 ± 3 to 89+3 mm Hg in TGR. The slopes of lines relating renal perfusion pressure and urine flow rate as well as sodium excretion were significantly increased by enalapril in control and transgenic animals. Urinary nitric oxide metabolite excretion rose similarly with increasing renal perfusion pressure in both control and TGR rats and was not affected by enalapril. These results confirm that older TGR rats have a blunted pressure -diuresis-natriuresis response that can be corrected by inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system and suggest that their production of nitric oxide is normal.