Abstract
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a severe complication of diabetes, which causes an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and end-stage renal failure. Recent clinical data have demonstrated distinct sexual dimorphisms in the pathogenesis of DKD in humans, which impacts both severity- and age-related risk factors. A type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) rat model characterized by spontaneous development of an advanced form of diabetic nephropathy (DN) was used here to study sexual dimorphisms in the development of type 2 diabetes with DN. Male and female T2DN rats at late stages of the disease were used to evaluate hyperglycemia, renal injury, and kidney function. During late stage DKD (>46 weeks), glucose tolerance tests (GTT) revealed higher glucose levels in males (378 ± 19 vs. 183 ± 48 mg/dL) compared to females. This was accompanied by pathological changes in kidney function including urinary nephrin shedding, albuminuria (11.8 ± 5.7 vs. 0.98 ± 0.64 Alb/Cre ratio), and glomerular damage. To test the role of the endocrine environment in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes with DKD, we performed gonadectomies on male and female T2DN rats at 9 to 10 weeks of age, and animals were monitored until the full development of DKD (>46 weeks). All T2DN rats (intact and gonadectomized) maintained their diabetic phenotype, which was verified by higher end point blood glucose levels following a GTT (intact vs gonadectomized, male and female, respectively; 404 ± 21 vs 466 ± 32 and 264 ± 20 vs 291 ± 25 mg/dL). Based on kidneys to body weight ratios, gonadectomized male T2DN rats had a significant reduction in kidney hypertrophy (intact vs gonadectomized; males and females, respectively: 9.9 ± 0.2 vs 7.4 ± 0.2 and 7.7 ± 0.2 vs 7.0 ± 0.2 ratio). Moreover, FITC-inulin based GFR measurements revealed gonadectomized males had improved GFRs, whereas the GFRs of gonadectomized females rats were worsened (7.5 ± 1.5 vs. 4.1 ± 0.7 for male and 4.1 ± 0.2 vs. 7.3 ± 1.3 for female μg/mL/min; gonadectomy vs intact, correspondingly). In conclusion, male T2DN rats develop more severe DKD compared to age-matched females, and this phenotype is partially attenuated by the absence of sex hormones in males and exacerbated by the absence of hormones in females.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
