REVIEW ARTICLES   

Panminerva Medica 2001 March;43(1):45-8

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Endothelin and diabetic nephropathy: a new pathogenetic factor?

Meli S., Bruno C. M.

From the Department of Internal and Emergency Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

Endothelin is a vas­o­con­strictor and a mit­o­genic pep­tide. It is ­able in ­vivo as ­well as in ­vitro to ­affect ­renal func­tion and struc­ture. Experiments con­ducted on ­animal ­models ­have ­shown ­that dia­betes mel­litus is asso­ciated ­with an ­increase in uri­nary and ­plasma endo­thelin ­levels. This ­increase, is prob­ably cor­re­lated to ­renal ­damage pro­gres­sion and to char­ac­ter­istic alter­a­tions in dia­betic neph­rop­athy. Also ­studies con­ducted on dia­betic ­patients ­have dem­on­strated an ­increase in ­plasma endo­thelin. The ­role of endo­thelin ­should there­fore be con­sid­ered ­because it ­could be ­involved in the path­o­gen­esis of dia­betic neph­rop­athy.