title: [Effects of beraprost sodium on extracellular matrix metabolism in cultured rat mesangial cells induced by high glucose].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore effects of beraprost sodium (BPS) on the metabolism of extracellular matrix (ECM) in rat mesangial cells cultured in the presence of high glucose and the possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rat mesangial cells were cultured in the presence of high glucose with or without BPS for 24 or 48 h. The levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), fibronectin (FN) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) protein in the culture supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and photoshop-Smad3 was detected by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the cells in normal glucose, the cells cultured in the presence of high glucose for 24 and 48 h showed significantly increased TGFβ 1 and FN protein expression and lowered MMP-2 protein expression (P<0.01). Compared with the cells cultured in high glucose, BPS exposure at the concentration of 1, 2, and 5 µmol/L for 24 and 48 h significantly lowered TGFβ 1 protein expression (P<0.01), and at 2 and 5 µmol/L, BPS significantly decreased FN protein expression and increased MMP-2 protein expression in high glucose-induced cells (P<0.05). High glucose exposure also significantly increased the expression phosphorylated Smad3 (P<0.01), which was lowered by BPS treatment at 2 and 5 µmol/L (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BPS can regulate ECM metabolism in rat mesangial cells cultured in high glucose by inhibiting TGFβ 1/Smad3 pathway, suggesting the beneficial effects of BPS in preventing and treating diabetic nephropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. E-mail: chenyuezhang@163.com.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yaoming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Yingjuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000166:cytology; D005947:Glucose; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D050527:Mesangial Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; C048081:beraprost; D011464:Epoprostenol; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; C522363:Mmp2 protein, rat; D005947:Glucose