Carbonyl compounds in the blood stream tend to accumulate in the kidney of diabetic or end stage renal failure subjects. Previously we isolated cDNA encoding dicarbonyl/L-xylulose reductase (DCXR) from a mouse kidney cDNA library. In the present study, transgenic (Tg) mice were generated to study the functional role of DCXR in the kidney.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), a multifunctional cytokine which is involved in extracellular matrix modulation, has a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of fibrotic diseases. We now report the effects of ursolic acid on TGF-beta1 receptor binding and TGF-beta1-induced cellular functions in vitro. Ursolic acid inhibited [(125)I]-TGF-beta1 receptor binding to Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts with an IC(50) value of 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF