L-carnosine and its Derivatives as New Therapeutic Agents for the Prevention and Treatment of Vascular Complications of Diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 1744-1763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Menini ◽  
Carla Iacobini ◽  
Claudia Blasetti Fantauzzi ◽  
Giuseppe Pugliese

Vascular complications are among the most serious manifestations of diabetes. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of reduced life quality and expectancy in diabetics, whereas diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy are the most common causes of end-stage renal disease and blindness. An effective therapeutic approach to prevent vascular complications should counteract the mechanisms of injury. Among them, the toxic effects of Advanced Glycation (AGEs) and Lipoxidation (ALEs) end-products are well-recognized contributors to these sequelae. L-carnosine (β-alanyl-Lhistidine) acts as a quencher of the AGE/ALE precursors Reactive Carbonyl Species (RCS), which are highly reactive aldehydes derived from oxidative and non-oxidative modifications of sugars and lipids. Consistently, L-carnosine was found to be effective in several disease models in which glyco/lipoxidation plays a central pathogenic role. Unfortunately, in humans, L-carnosine is rapidly inactivated by serum carnosinase. Therefore, the search for carnosinase-resistant derivatives of Lcarnosine represents a suitable strategy against carbonyl stress-dependent disorders, particularly diabetic vascular complications. In this review, we present and discuss available data on the efficacy of L-carnosine and its derivatives in preventing vascular complications in rodent models of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. We also discuss genetic findings providing evidence for the involvement of the carnosinase/L-carnosine system in the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy and for preferring the use of carnosinase-resistant compounds in human disease. The availability of therapeutic strategies capable to prevent both long-term glucose toxicity, resulting from insufficient glucoselowering therapy, and lipotoxicity may help reduce the clinical and economic burden of vascular complications of diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (2) ◽  
pp. F119-F122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Utpal Sen ◽  
Sathnur Pushpakumar

Chronic kidney disease is associated with vasculitis and is also an independent risk factor for peripheral vascular and coronary artery disease in diabetic patients. Despite optimal management, a significant number of patients progress toward end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a suggestion that the disease mechanism is far from clear. A reduction in hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been suggested to play a vital role in diabetic vascular complications including diabetic nephropathy (DN). This mini-review highlights the recent findings on the role of H2S in mitigating abnormal extracellular matrix metabolism in DN. A discussion on the development of the newer slow-releasing H2S compounds and its therapeutic potential is also included.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Chang Zeng ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Zhou Zhang ◽  
Qinyun Cai ◽  
...  

Long-term complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are the major causes for T2D-related disability and mortality. Notably, diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become the most frequent cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in most countries. Understanding epigenetic contributors to DN can provide novel insights into this complex disorder and lay the foundation for more effective monitoring tools and preventive interventions, critical for achieving the ultimate goal of improving patient care and reducing healthcare burden. We have used a selective chemical labeling technique (5hmC-Seal) to profile genome-wide distributions of 5-hydroxymethylcytosines (5hmC), a gene activation mark, in patient-derived circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Differentially modified 5hmC genes were identified across T2D patients with DN (n = 12), T2D patients with non-DN vascular complications (non-DN) (n = 29), and T2D patients with no complications (controls) (n = 14). Specifically, differential 5hmC markers between DN and controls revealed relevant pathways such as NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and tyrosine metabolism. A ten-gene panel was shown to provide differential 5hmC patterns between controls and DN, as well as between controls and non-DN patients using a machine learning approach. The 5hmC profiles in cfDNA reflected novel DN-associated epigenetic modifications relevant to the disease pathogenesis of DN. Importantly, these findings in cfDNA, a convenient liquid biopsy, have the potential to be exploited as a clinically useful tool for predicting DN in high risk T2D patients. Keywords: diabetes, nephropathy, epigenetics, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, cfDNA


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianan Geng ◽  
Xiaoyan Yu ◽  
Chunyu Liu ◽  
Chengbo Sun ◽  
Menghuan Guo ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease throughout the world; until now there is no specific drug available. In this work, we use herba artemisiae capillaris extract (HACE) to alleviate renal fibrosis characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in rats, aiming to investigate the protective effect of the HACE on DN. We found that the intragastric treatment of high-dose HACE could reverse the effect of streptozotocin not only to decrease the level of blood glucose and blood lipid in different degree but also further to improve renal functions. It is worth mentioning that the effect of HACE treatment was comparable to the positive drug benazepril. Moreover, we found that HACE treatment could on one hand inhibit oxidative stress in DN rats through regulating enzymatic activity for scavenging reactive oxygen species and on the other hand increase the ECM degradation through regulating the activity of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and the expression of tissue transglutaminase (tTG), which explained why HACE treatment inhibited ECM accumulation. On the basis of above experimental results, we conclude that HACE prevents DN development in a streptozotocin-induced DN rat model, and HACE is a promising candidate to cure DN in clinic.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
Kyeong-Seok Kim ◽  
Jin-Sol Lee ◽  
Jae-Hyeon Park ◽  
Eun-Young Lee ◽  
Jong-Seok Moon ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. After development of DN, patients will progress to end-stage renal disease, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Here, we developed early-stage diagnostic biomarkers to detect DN as a strategy for DN intervention. For the DN model, Zucker diabetic fatty rats were used for DN phenotyping. The results revealed that DN rats showed significantly increased blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine levels, accompanied by severe kidney injury, fibrosis and microstructural changes. In addition, DN rats showed significantly increased urinary excretion of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Transcriptome analysis revealed that new DN biomarkers, such as complementary component 4b (C4b), complementary factor D (CFD), C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were identified. Furthermore, they were found in the urine of patients with DN. Since these biomarkers were detected in the urine and kidney of DN rats and urine of diabetic patients, the selected markers could be used as early diagnosis biomarkers for chronic diabetic nephropathy.


2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (6) ◽  
pp. F1138-F1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumar Sharma ◽  
Peter McCue ◽  
Stephen R. Dunn

Diabetic nephropathy is increasing in incidence and is now the number one cause of end-stage renal disease in the industrialized world. To gain insight into the genetic susceptibility and pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy, an appropriate mouse model of diabetic nephropathy would be critical. A large number of mouse models of diabetes have been identified and their kidney disease characterized to various degrees. Perhaps the best characterized and most intensively investigated model is the db/ db mouse. Because this model appears to exhibit the most consistent and robust increase in albuminuria and mesangial matrix expansion, it has been used as a model of progressive diabetic renal disease. In this review, we present the findings from various studies on the renal pathology of the db/ db mouse model of diabetes in the context of human diabetic nephropathy. Furthermore, we discuss shortfalls of assessing functional renal disease in mouse models of diabetic kidney disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 827-832
Author(s):  
Narges M. Kablan ◽  
◽  
Khadija A. Ali ◽  
Kamlah J. Said ◽  
Mabroka A. Ali ◽  
...  

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major health problem worldwide. In Libya, limited studies are available on children with ESRD.Regular assessment of laboratory parameters is the only way to reduce their risk of mortality.This study aimed to determinethe demographic characteristics and evaluate the hematological profile of children on hemodialysis (HD) admitted to the dialysis unit in Benghazi Pediatric hospital, Benghazi, Libya during the period 3rd of December, 2017 to 15th of January 2018.A structured form was used to record data collected from patients files. Data includedage, gender, body weight, treatment history, drug history, duration and frequency of HD and laboratory tests results, specifically white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (HB), blood urea, glucose, Albumin, uric acid, serum creatinine, serum iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium and potassium.Number of patients on HD includedin this study was seven with average age of 11years,the majority (71%)were males.Average body weight of female patients was24.2kg,while male patients averagebody weight was25.52kg. Most of the patients(57%)hadhigh BP.71%of patientsstarted dialysis sincemore than one year.Patients underwentdialysisthree times a week represented(86%),while the rest of patients underwent dialysis four times a weekrepresented(14%).All patients had anemia and highcreatininelevel.Providing an appropriate care for children on maintenance dialysis in Libya is quitedifficult. Increasing the awareness ofparents about ESRD is necessary to improve the life quality of children with ESRD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (8) ◽  
pp. 2218-2222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine K. Hathaway ◽  
Albert S. Chang ◽  
Ruriko Grant ◽  
Hyung-Suk Kim ◽  
Victoria J. Madden ◽  
...  

Human genome-wide association studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms in the engulfment and cell motility protein 1 gene (ELMO1) are strongly associated with susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. However, proof of causation is lacking. To test whether modest changes in its expression alter the severity of the renal phenotype in diabetic mice, we have generated mice that are type 1 diabetic because they have the Ins2Akita gene, and also have genetically graded expression of Elmo1 in all tissues ranging in five steps from ∼30% to ∼200% normal. We here show that the Elmo1 hypermorphs have albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and changes in the ultrastructure of the glomerular basement membrane that increase in severity in parallel with the expression of Elmo 1. Progressive changes in renal mRNA expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), endothelin-1, and NAD(P)H oxidase 4 also occur in parallel with Elmo1, as do the plasma levels of cystatin C, lipid peroxides, and TGFβ1, and erythrocyte levels of reduced glutathione. In contrast, Akita type 1 diabetic mice with below-normal Elmo1 expression have reduced expression of these various factors and less severe diabetic complications. Remarkably, the reduced Elmo1 expression in the 30% hypomorphs almost abolishes the pathological features of diabetic nephropathy, although it does not affect the hyperglycemia caused by the Akita mutation. Thus, ELMO1 plays an important role in the development of type 1 diabetic nephropathy, and its inhibition could be a promising option for slowing or preventing progression of the condition to end-stage renal disease.


QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salah El-Din A Shelbaya ◽  
Hanan M Ali ◽  
Rana H Ibrahim ◽  
Nourhan Safwat Sawirs

Abstract Background Nephropathy, a major complication of diabetes, is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Early identification of nephropathy in diabetes patients is crucial because it creates opportunity for preventing the incidence of DN and/or even slows down the process of end-stage renal disease attributed to diabetes. Human podocytes (Pods) have been demonstrated to be functionally and structurally injured in the natural history of diabetic nephropathy. Aim of the Work To evaluate the possible association between the urinary podocalyxin levels and severity and grade of diabetic nephropathy and to use urinary podocalyxin as a non-invasive marker for early stage of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 DM. Patients and Methods We collected 60 known clinically and biochemically type 2 diabetic patients.20 diabetic patients with no evidence of diabetic nephropathy, 20 patients diagnosed as diabetic nephropathy in microalbuminuria stages and 20 patients diagnosed as diabetic nephropathy in macroalbuminuria stages from Ain Shams University hospitals between April and December 2018 and 20 apparently healthy volunteers will included as a control group. Results Urinary PCX was significantly higher in patients group compared to control group. Urinary PCX was significantly higher in microalbuminuric group than in normoalbuminuric group and higher in macroalbuminuric group than in microalbuminuric group. There was a positive significant correlation between FBS, 2HrPP, HBA1C and urinary PCX. There was a positive significant correlation between s.create and urinary PCX. There was a positive significant correlation between ACR and urinary PCX. Conclusion Urinary podocalyxin seems to be beneficial as an early marker for early stages of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 DM patients.


1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 1523-1529
Author(s):  
J A Breyer

Diabetic nephropathy is the single most common cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States. Recently, several major therapeutic interventions have been developed and demonstrated to slow or halt the progression of renal failure in patients with diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial demonstrated that microalbuminuria developed in fewer patients in the intensive blood sugar control group than in the conventional therapy group. Similarly, the risk of developing proteinuria was reduced by intensive blood sugar control. Multiple studies have demonstrated that in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and proteinuria, lowering the systemic blood pressure slows the rate of decline in renal function and improves patients' survival. In the recently completed trial of ACE inhibition in diabetic nephropathy, ACE inhibitors were specifically shown to decrease dramatically the risk of doubling of serum creatinine or reaching a combined outcome of end-stage renal disease or death. In studies in small numbers of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and established diabetic nephropathy, dietary protein restriction has also been demonstrated to slow the rate of decline of renal function. New potential interventions currently undergoing study include the use of aldose reductase inhibitors, the use of drugs that prevent the formation of advanced glycosylation end-products, and the use of angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Thus, several established benefits have recently been demonstrated to help prevent the development of or slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy, including blood pressure control, blood sugar control, and treatment with ACE inhibitors. Dietary protein restriction may also be of benefit. Multiple new interventions are undergoing clinical trials currently.


Diabetic renal disease is the commonest cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the Western world and is rapidly becoming the leading cause in developing countries. The following chapters provide valuable insights into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and pathology of diabetic renal disease with a focus on the clinical presentation, diagnosis, natural history, and progression of the disease. Many patients with diabetic renal disease suffer from microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes, including diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, cardiovascular, and peripheral vascular disease. The authors discuss the available treatment approaches including lifestyle, diet, and exercise. In addition, they cover the importance of maintaining healthy blood pressure and glycaemic control to improve outcomes and the pharmacological treatments available. The authors describe the range of hypoglycaemic agents now available as well as insulin treatment. Ultimately, many patients will require management of complications of diabetes. Often they develop progressive renal impairment that requires renal replacement therapy with dialysis and transplantation, which are also discussed.


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