The effect of dilazep on urinary protein excretion in spontaneous diabetic Chinese hamster

The effect of dilazep, an adenosine potentiator and platelet aggregation inhibitor, on experimental diabetic nephropathy was investigated in spontaneous diabetic Chinese hamster. Prediabetic animals, 8 weeks of age, were divided into two groups. In one group, 5 mg/kg dilazep was injected i.p. once a day. In the other group, saline of the same amount was injected. Age- and sex-matched animals from a nondiabetic subline were used as controls. No difference was observed in body weight, mean blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin level between diabetic animals with and without dilazep administration throughout the entire period of experiment. Urinary protein excretions in untreated diabetic animals increased significantly compared to those of nondiabetic controls at 8 weeks (17.5 +/- 3.5 vs 2.0 +/- 0.1 mg/day), and at 24 weeks (25.3 +/- 5.1 vs 2.7 +/- 0.1 mg/day) of experiment. In diabetic animals with dilazep treatment, urinary protein excretions (4.1 +/- 0.7 at 8 weeks and 13.1 +/- 2.9 mg/day at 24 weeks of experiment) were significantly suppressed compared to those in untreated diabetic animals. Significant thickening of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) was observed in diabetic animals both with and without dilazep administration at 24 weeks of experiment compared to that in nondiabetic controls. The number of anionic sites in GBM, stained by polyethyleneimine, was reduced in untreated diabetic animals, but was not different in dilazep treated animals compared to that in nondiabetic controls. It was concluded that dilazep administration suppressed urinary protein excretion in diabetic Chinese hamster possibly through the preservation of charge barrier of the glomerulus.