Clinical significance of level changes of TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens and therapeutic effects of simvastatin in patients with diabetic nephropathy

    LI Zhenª²Jiang, LEI Jie, ZHONG Fangª²Hong, CHEN Wei

    1Department of Renal Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710033, China, 2Department of Endocrinal & Renal Diseases, Xi¬ðan Central Hospital, Xi¬ðan 710003, 3Xi¬ðan Thoracic Cancer Hospital, Xi¬ðan 710061, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To investigate the clinical significance of changes in the levels of transforming growth factorª²¦Â1 (TGFª²¦Â1 ) and IV collagens, and the changes in the levels of TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens after treatment with simvastatin in patients with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: Eighty patients diagnosed as diabetic mellitus were chosen as subjects and were divided into two groups according to their urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), of whom 44 were diabetic patients without nephropathy (group A) and 36 patients with diabetic nephropathy (group B). The patients in group B were treated with simvastatin. Venous blood samples were obtained in all patients before and after the administration of simvastatin for 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks. The levels of TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens were detected with ELISA at different times after patients with diabetic nephropathy were treated with simvastatin, and the levels of total urinary proteins per 24 h were also detected. 40 healthy subjects were used as controls. RESULTS: The levels of the serum TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens in the diabetic patients were significantly higher than those in controls (group A vs control, all P<0.05; group B vs control, all P<0.01). The levels of the serum TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens in group B were significant higher than those in group A (both P<0.05). After the administration of simvastatin, the levels of urinary proteins per 24 h decreased in group B, and the serum TGFª²¦Â1 and IV collagens levels in group B progressively declined as the treatment with simvastatin continued. CONCLUSION: TGF¦Â1 and IV collagens may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Simvastatin may achieve its therapeutic effects in diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting the expression of TGFª²1. ......