ABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigate the effects of a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide on podocytes, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: Eighty-four DN patients treated by the department of endocrinology of the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University during December 2017 and March 2019 were randomly assigned to a control group and a treatment group (n=42, respectively), with the control group prescribed with conventional DN medications and the treatment group receiving liraglutide treatment in addition to the conventional therapy. The course of treatment lasted for 12 weeks. hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), urine podocalyxin (PCX), urine nephrin, as well as inflammation and oxidative stress markers such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured pre- and post-treatment for intergroup comparison. Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, HbA1C, BMI, TC, and TG in both groups were reduced in comparison with the pre-treatment levels, with the levels in the treatment group lower than in the control group (p<0.05); reduced levels of UAER, PCX, and nephrin were detected in the two groups, with the treatment group exhibiting a significant reduction in these markers compared with the control group (p<0.05); the 12-week treatment led to decreases in the TNF-α, MCP-1, and MDA levels in both groups, with the decline in the treatment group exceeding that in the control group, whereas both groups had an increased level of GSH-Px, with the level in the treatment group higher than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Liraglutide protects the kidneys and improves DN by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress, reducing urinary albumin excretion and podocyte damage and supporting renal function in addition to its hypoglycemic properties.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To analyze the podocalyxin (PCX) expression in the kidney and the number of urinary podocytes in different pathological grades of Henoch-Sch(o)nlein purpura nephritis (HSPN),and to determine whether the number of urinary podocytes reflects the renal damage in HSPN.Methods:Fifty-six children diagnosed with HSPN in our hospital were enrolled in the study and classified into 4 groups by renal pathology:grade Ⅱ (Ⅱa+Ⅱb) (n=10),grade Ⅲ (Ⅲa+Ⅲb) (n=21),grade Ⅳ (n=16),and grade Ⅴ (n=9).Four kidney autopsy specimens without histomorphologic lesions and 8 urine samples from healthy children served as controls.With immunofluorescence assay,the PCX expression in 4 normal renal tissues and in the renal tissues of the 56 HSPN children was detected and quantitatively analyzed.Positive rate and the number of urinary podocytes were detected in the 8 healthy children and 56 HSPN children.Results:In the renal tissues of the normal control group and grade Ⅱ (Ⅱa+Ⅱb) HSPN group,the PCX expression was complete.The percentage of the PCX positive area out of the total glomerular area in the renal tissues of 2 groups had no significant difference (P＞0.05).In the renal tissues of grade Ⅲ (Ⅲa+Ⅲb),Ⅳ,and Ⅴ HSPN groups,the PCX expression showed various degrees of loss,decreasing in turn from grade Ⅱ (Ⅱa+Ⅱb),Ⅲ (Ⅲa+Ⅲb),Ⅳ to Ⅴ,with significant differences between each group (P＜0.01).For HSPN with grade Ⅲ (Ⅲa+Ⅲb) or higher,positive PCX expression was found in the urine,suggesting the presence of enough podocytes in the urine.The percentage of fluorescence positive area out of the total glomerular area of PCX in the renal tissues was negatively correlated with the total number of urinary podocytes (r=-0.637,P＜0.01).Conclusion:Podocyte injury plays a certain role in the pathological progression of HSPN.The urinary detection ofpodocytes can reflect the degrees of pathological damage in HSPN.
