Clinical and experimental studies have shown that sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) contribute to the prevention of diabetic kidney disease progression. In order to clarify its pharmacological effects on the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of diabetic kidney disease, we administered different doses of the SGLT2i, ipragliflozin, to type 2 diabetic mice. A high-dose ipragliflozin treatment for 8 weeks lowered blood glucose levels and reduced urinary albumin excretion. High- and low-dose ipragliflozin both inhibited renal and glomerular hypertrophy, and reduced NADPH oxidase 4 expression and subsequent oxidative stress. Analysis of glomerular phenotypes using glomeruli isolation demonstrated that ipragliflozin preserved podocyte integrity and reduced oxidative stress. Regarding renal tissue hypoxia, a short-term ipragliflozin treatment improved oxygen tension in the kidney cortex, in which SGLT2 is predominantly expressed. We then administered ipragliflozin to type 1 diabetic mice and found that high- and low-dose ipragliflozin both reduced urinary albumin excretion. In conclusion, we confirmed dose-dependent differences in the effects of ipragliflozin on early diabetic nephropathy in vivo. Even low-dose ipragliflozin reduced renal cortical hypoxia and abnormal hemodynamics in early diabetic nephropathy. In addition to these effects, high-dose ipragliflozin exerted renoprotective effects by reducing oxidative stress in tubular epithelia and glomerular podocytes.

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Reflection, emission, and excitation spectra of CaS:Pb*+ and CaSe:Pbz' are measured a t 300, 80, and 6 K. At higher concentrations of Pb2+ ions, the emission and excitation bands due to t h e PbZ+ dimer are observed besides those of the Pb2+ monomer. Theoretical calculation of energy levels of the dimer of Tl+-type ions is made on the basis of the localized electron model. The values of the spectroscopic parameters appearing in the energy matrices are determined so that the electronic levels obtained experimentally and theoretically may coincide with each other.

Coexistence of the Eu2+ and Eu3+ centers is confirmed for two kinds of normalCaO:normalEu phosphors prepared in N2 and H2 by observing electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra, photoluminescence and optical excitation spectra and luminescence decay curves. The ESR signal intensity due to Eu2+ in normalCaO:normalEu prepared in H2 was about 7 times that in normalCaO:normalEu prepared in N2 . Details of the luminescence spectra of the Eu2+ centers in normalCaO are reported. The emission band of normalCaO:Eu2+ is located at 733 nm at 300 K, and the emission and excitation bands exhibit phonon structures at low temperatures. The luminescence lifetime of the Eu2+ center is about 1 μs at 300 K.

Background: We have developed magnetic cationic liposomes (MCLs) that contained magnetic nanoparticles as heating mediator for applying them to local hyperthermia. The heating performance of the MCLs is significantly affected by the property of the incorporated magnetite nanoparticles. We estimated heating capacity of magnetite nanoparticles by measuring its specific absorption rate (SAR) against irradiation of the alternating magnetic field (AMF).