The effects of hydrochloride Benazepril on podocyte nephrin protein expression in diabetic rats

Objective To observe effects of hydrochloride benazepril on podocyte nephrin protein expression in diabetic rats and investigate its protective effects on the kidney of rats and its possible mechanism.Methods Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were assigned to normal control and model group.The diabetes model was established by a single injection of streptozotoin(STZ),randomly divided into diabetic nephropathy(DM group) and benazepril intervention group(DT group).DT group received benazepril hydrochloride.NC,DM group was gived the equal saline in a appropriate time.Peripheral blood glucose was tested weekly in all groups.At the end of the 4th week,blood glucose,HbA1c,urinary nephrin protein,urinary albumin,and urinary retinol-binding protein were tested.The renal tissues of diabetic rats were obtained after the rats sacrifice to observe the structure changes and morphological changes in kidney podocytes under electron microscope and measure nephrin protein expression by immunohistochemistry.Results At the end of the 4th week,all indexes measured above and the relative kidney index were markedly increased in group DM when compared with those in group DT(P0.05),in comparison with those in group NC,DM and DT group was were markedly increased in nephrin expression levels(P0.05),the renal pathological lesions of rats in group DM were obvious.Benazepril treatment could significantly decrease the parameters above(P0.01) and lessen the renal pathological lesions in comparison with those in group DM except the blood glucose and HbA1c.Conclusion Benazepril exerts reno-protective effect via increasing nephrin expression to repair the damaged foot cells and reducing podocyte loss to decrease proteinuria of diabetic rats.