Objective: To investigate the interrelation between endothelin-1 (ET-1) and angiotensin II (AngII) in kidney tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy.
Methods: Wistar rats were performed a removal operation of right kidney. Two weeks later the uninephrectomized rats were given intravenous injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mg/kg). The diabetic rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: DM + bos group (bosentan 100 mg/kg/d by gavage); DM + ena group (enalapril 10 mg/kg/d by gavage); DM + bos + ena group (the same doses of both bosentan and enalapril by gavage); DM + veh group (only buffer by gavage). Besides, uninephrectomized rats without STZ injection were assigned as control group. Each group consisted of 6 rats. Twenty weeks later, they were sacrificed and left kidney of each rat was harvested respectively. The mRNA expression of angiotensinogen (Ao), angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R), preproendothelin-1 and endothelin A receptor (ETaR), and the protein expression of AngII, AT1R, ET-1 and ETaR in kidney tissue were semi-quantitatively detected with reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining respectively.
Results: In the diabetic group without treatment (DM + veh group), the expression of Ao (AII), AT1R and ET-AR was significantly up-regulated (1.25, 1.94 and 2.56-folds in mRNA respectively, 2.52, 3.84 and 3.30-folds in protein respectively, P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) compared with control group. In three treatment groups, i.e. DM + bos group, DM + ena group and DM + bos + ena group, the up-regulated expression of Ao (AII), AT1R and ET-AR was significantly attenuated (-38.2% to -54.8% in mRNA and -55.3% to -69.7% in protein, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) compared with DM group. The inhibitory rates among these three treatment groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05). In this study, the expression of preproendothelin-1 mRNA and ET-1 protein was not significantly changed among all groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Either endothelin receptor antagonist or ACE inhibitor can significantly inhibit the expression of AngII, AT1R and ETaR in kidney tissue of diabetic rats, which suggest that there are close relationship and cross action between ET-1 and AngII.