Effects of Tongxinluo on VEGF expression in early diabetic nephropathy rats

Objective To observe the effect of Tongxinluo on vascular endothelial growth factor( VEGF) expression in rats with early stage of diabetic nephropathy. Methods The rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus was induced by injection of low-dose of streptozocin after having high-fat diet for 4 weeks,40 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups-normal group,diabetic group,valsartan treated group( 10 mg /kg / d) and Tongxinluo treated group( 0. 4mg / kg / d); After 8 weeks,the level of urinary albumin excretion rate( UAER),creatinine clearance rate( Ccr),kidney weight / body weight ratio( KW / BW) and plasma VEGF was measured and the renal expression of VEGF and Flt1 was determined by western blot and realtime PCR. Results The level of UAER,Ccr,KW / BW,VEGF an Flt1 expression in Tongxinluo treated group was lower than it in diabetic group( P 0. 05),while FBG had no significant difference. Conclusion Tongxinluo can improve glomerular hyperfiltration and albuminuria excretion in rats with early stage of diabetic nephropathy; The mechanism could be related to inhibition of VEGF and Flt1 expression.