Abstract
The effect of hypercholesterolemia on diabetic nephropathy was studied in rats fed with or without cholesterol (CHS) for 112 days after intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Serum cholesterol was increased only in STZ-diabetic and CHS-fed rats, and not in non-diabetic and CHS-fed animals. In the STZ-diabetic and CHS-fed rats, PAS positive mesangial matrix areas were extended with significant increase of collagen IV, laminin, and fibronectin, as compared with STZ-diabetic without CHS feeding rats. The results indicated that hypercholesterolemia promoted the progression of STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy in rats.
