title: The effect of insulin treatment on Rac1 expression in diabetic kidney.
abstract: This study was designed to evaluate the renoprotective effect of insulin on diabetic nephropathy through Rac1 inhibition. Twenty Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control (C), diabetic (D), and insulin-treated diabetic (D + I). Diabetes was induced by a single streptozotocin (STZ) injection (45 mg/kg i.p.) in adult male rats. Diabetic animals were treated subcutaneously with insulin (6 U/kg), or saline once a day for 8 weeks. Age-matched control rats received only saline. The kidney tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining for Rac1 and cleaved caspase-3 expressions and using the TUNEL method for determining apoptotic cells. Diabetes increased the number of TUNEL (+) cells and cleaved caspase-3 and Rac1 expression levels in kidney. Administration of insulin for 8 weeks reduced Rac1 expression and ameliorated histopathological changes in kidney of STZ-induced diabetes model. These results may suggest that the renoprotective effect of insulin at least partly results from inhibition of Rac1 overexpression.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. gumustek@deu.edu.tr
authors: Mukaddes
authors: M
authors: Gumustekin
authors: Serap Cilaker
authors: SC
authors: Micili
authors: Mualla Aylin
authors: MA
authors: Arici
authors: Meral
authors: M
authors: Karaman
authors: Mehmet Ensari
authors: ME
authors: Guneli
authors: Işil
authors: I
authors: Tekmen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; C499134:Rac1 protein, rat; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein