Abstract
The preventive effects of troglitazone on diabetic nephropathy in the early stage and hypercoagulation were studied using an inbred mouse strain established in Japan as a model for human type II diabetes. The KK mouse (with a mild degree of diabetes) and the KK-Ay mouse (produced by transferring the yellow obese gene (Ay) into the KK mouse) were fed a cholesterol-free high fructose diet. Troglitazone was given to the high fructose diet fed mice as a 0.2% food admixture for 3 weeks. Plasma glucose and triglyceride levels were significantly decreased in troglitazone-treated KK and KK-Ay mice compared with non-treated mice. The urinary micro-albumin (mAlb) and albumin to creatinine (A/C) ratio tended to be decreased in KK-Ay mice but not in KK mice. The plasma fibrinogen level was decreased significantly in KK mice treated with troglitazone. Troglitazone improved the pathophysiological condition of diabetic mice suggesting that it may be effective in preventing diabetic nephropathy in the early stage and hypercoagulation.
