A new way to reduce progression of diabetic kidney disease, affecting 40% of people with diabetes, has been discovered by scientists. The study published in JCI Insight, could help the 4.8 million people in the UK with diabetes who are four times more likely to need either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Recent clinical trials show a commonly used blood pressure medicine, known as spironolactone, is an effective treatment by reducing protein leak into the urine. However, despite its positive effect, the drug can have adverse side effects, causing problems including high blood potassium levels (hyperkalaemia) in patients, making clinicians reluctant to use it.
Researchers aimed to understand how spironolactone prevents damage to the kidneys.
They found that the drug has a protective effect by helping preserve the gel-like glycocalyx layer on the surface of blood vessels within the kidney. Using novel alternative therapeutics to slow down glycocalyx layer degradation in diabetes directly could now help them recreate the same effect but without adverse side effects.
To conduct this study, the team used patient kidney biopsy specimens to develop a novel method to measure glycocalyx depth changes to confirm that diabetes damages the endothelial glycocalyx layer, and spironolactone prevents this damage.
Their results showed spironolactone reduces the activity of a group of enzymes, called matrix metalloproteases, helping to preserve the gel-like glycocalyx layer on the surface of the blood vessels in the kidney, preventing disease progression.
The study’s joint senior author said: “This study is really exciting for us because it confirms that blocking mineralocorticoid receptors using spironolactone preserves kidney function by acting on the glycocalyx.
“Our next steps will be to look at repurposing drugs that target matrix metalloproteases enzymes [MMPs] to see if they could be of benefit in patients with kidney disease and avoid the troublesome side effects associated with mineralocorticoid receptor blockers. If we see that same level of protection using these more specific drugs, then patients will see significant benefits whilst avoiding the risks associated with high blood potassium levels.”
https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/154164
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fmineralocorticoid_2&filter=22
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism in diabetes reduces albuminuria
- 570 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
NAD+ metabolic enzyme's rol…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
A pair of brain regions pro…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
How the gut microbiome resp…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Jun
Noncanonical cleavage mecha…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jun
Other Top Stories
Genome analysis just got personal!
Read more
Computational model of the thalamic microcircuit in the mouse brain
Read more
How a single mutation causes ataxia
Read more
Structural basis of calmodulin modulation of the rod cyclic nucleot…
Read more
Genetic analysis tool to improve cancer modeling
Read more
Protocols
Hardwiring tissue-specific…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Jun
Using mass spectrometry ima…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jun
Low-threshold, high-resolut…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Optical opening of the bloo…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jun
Protocol to establish a gen…
By newseditor
Posted 03 Jun
Publications
Myelin dysfunction drives a…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
Steroid receptor coactivato…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
Taurine linked with healthy…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
SARS-CoV-2 infection and vi…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
Cancer-cell-derived fumarat…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jun
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Mar
ASCO-2020-GYNECOLOGIC CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 10 Mar