Protective effect of C-peptide on experimentally induced diabetic nephropathy and the possible link between C-peptide and Nitric Oxide

Diabetic nephropathy one of the major microvascular diabetic complications. Besides hyperglycemia, other factors contribute to the development of diabetic complications as the proinsulin connecting peptide, C-peptide. We described the role of C-peptide replacement therapy on experimentally induced diabetic nephropathy, and its potential mechanisms of action by studying the role of Nitric oxide (NO) as a mediator of C-peptide effects by in vivo modulating its production by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Renal injury markers measured were serum urea, creatinine, TNF-Îą and Angiotensin II and renal tissue malondialdehyde, total antioxidant, Bcl-2 and NO. Conclusion, diabetic induction resulted in islet degenerations and decreased insulin secretion with its metabolic consequences, and subsequent renal complications. C-peptide deficiencies in diabetes might contributed to the metabolic and renal error, since C-peptide treatment to the diabetic rats corrected completely these errors. The beneficial effects of C-peptide partially antagonized by L-NAME co-administration indicating that NO partially mediates C-peptide effects.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author