title: Reduction of renal transforming growth factor-beta activity without aggravation of growth retardation in nephritic rats by a methionine-threonine-supplemented low-casein diet.
abstract: The effects of a low-casein diet fortified with methionine and threonine on renal cortical and glomerular transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta activity were studied in rats with nephritis induced by anti-rat kidney glomerular basement membrane antiserum. Both normal and nephritic rats were fed experimental diets for 10 days. An injection of nephrotoxic serum increased urinary protein excretion and renal TGF-beta activity. A methionine-threonine-supplemented 8.5% casein diet, compared with a basal 20% casein diet, decreased these two measurements without aggravating growth retardation in nephritic rats. These results suggest that aggravation and alleviation of symptoms incident to anti-GBM nephritis are relevant to elevation and reduction of TGF-beta activity, respectively. The results also suggest that amino acid-balanced low-protein diets would have beneficial effects on glomerulonephritis without causing severe protein malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo Noko University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagasaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Funabiki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004435:Eating; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008907:Mink; D009393:Nephritis / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013912:Threonine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D013912:Threonine; D008715:Methionine