Protective effect of Valsartan on renal function of rats with diabetes mellitus

Objective To investigate the protective effect of Valsartan,an antagonist of angiotensin receptor,on diabetes mellitus in rats and to study the possible mechanisms.Methods Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group,diabetes mellitus(DM)group and diabetes mellitus plus Valsartan group(ARB group).The rats were sacrificed at 2,4,8 and 12 weeks of the experiment.The renal morphology was observed under light microscopy;the mRNA expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF)in kidney was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR);and the expression of CTGF protein in the renal tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry.Results The serum glucose,blood urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),urine albumin excretion rate(UAER)and expression of CTGF mRNA and protein in the DM group and ARB group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P0.01 or 0.05).All the above indices in ARB group were significantly lower than those in the DM group(P0.01 or 0.05).Conclusion The protective effect of Valsartan on diabetes mellitus may be related to the decrease of renal expression of CTGF mRNA and protein.