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Effect of tranilast in early-stage diabetic nephropathy

Jun Soma1, Kozo Sato, Harutaka Saito

  • 1Department of Nephrology, Iwate Prefectural Central Hospital, 1-4-1 Ueda, Morioka 020-0066, Japan. sjun@chuo-hp.pref.iwate.jp

Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation : Official Publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association
|July 6, 2006
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Tranilast treatment reduced urinary type IV collagen and albumin excretion in patients with early-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN). This suggests tranilast may be a beneficial therapy for slowing DN progression.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Pharmacology
  • Diabetology

Background:

  • Tranilast is an antifibrotic drug that inhibits fibroblast collagen synthesis by interfering with TGF-beta.
  • Previous studies showed tranilast slows advanced diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression by reducing renal collagen accumulation.
  • This study investigated tranilast's efficacy in early-stage DN.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the therapeutic effect of tranilast on early-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN).
  • To assess tranilast's impact on urinary markers of kidney damage, specifically type IV collagen and albumin excretion.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 20 out-patients with early-stage DN.
  • Patients received either tranilast (100 mg, 3 times daily) or a placebo, alongside standard treatment (ACE inhibitor or ARB).
  • Urinary type IV collagen (U-IV) and albumin (U-A) excretion were measured over a 1-year follow-up period.

Main Results:

  • While serum creatinine remained stable in both groups, tranilast treatment significantly decreased U-A and U-IV excretion after 1 year.
  • In contrast, the placebo group showed a trend towards increased U-A and U-IV excretion.
  • The changes in U-A and U-IV excretion exhibited statistically different trends between the tranilast and placebo groups.

Conclusions:

  • Tranilast demonstrated a beneficial therapeutic effect in patients with early-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN).
  • The drug effectively reduced key urinary markers of kidney damage, suggesting potential for slowing disease progression.

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