title: Hydrochloride pioglitazone protects diabetic rats against podocyte injury through preserving glomerular podocalyxin expression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to test the effect of different dosages of pioglitazone (PIO) on the glomerular expression of podocalyxin and urinary sediment podocalyxin excretion and to explore the potential renoprotective mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Type 1 diabetes induced with streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) in 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to be treated with vehicle or 10, 20, 30 mg/kg/d PIO respectively for 8 weeks. Eight rats were enrolled in the normal control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 8th week, rats were sacrificed for the observation of kidney injury through electron microscope. Glomerular podocalyxin production including mRNA and protein were determined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry respectively. Levels of urinary albumin excretion and urinary sediment podocalyxin, kidney injury index were all significantly increased, whereas expression of glomerular podocalyxin protein and mRNA were decreased significantly in diabetic rats compared to normal control. Dosages-dependent analysis revealed that protective effect of PIO ameliorated the physiopathological changes and reached a peak at dosage of 20 mg/kg/d.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PIO could alleviate diabetic kidney injury in a dose-dependent pattern and the role may be associated with restraining urinary sediment podocalyxin excretion and preserving the glomerular podocalyxin expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Shandong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Endocrinological Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D000077205:Pioglitazone; D050199:Podocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D014280:Triglycerides; C001643:podocalyxin; D000077205:Pioglitazone