Long-term protection of obese Zucker rat kidneys from fibrosis and renal failure with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/diuretic combination.

Some combinations of antihypertensive agents were shown to reduce proteinuria in patients with renal failure. However, preventive effects of such combinations on renal structure and function are presently unknown when treatment is administered before the onset of renal abnormalities. We thus investigated the long-term effects of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (perindopril)/diuretic (indapamide) combination (per/ind) in the Zucker rat, a classical model of chronic renal failure associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance.

High levels of myocardial antioxidant defense in aging nondiabetic normotensive Zucker obese rats.

Chronic renal failure often induces left ventricular hypertrophy. We assessed whether the heart is affected in the Zucker obese rat, a model of chronic renal failure associated with obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance without hypertension or hyperglycemia. After systemic blood pressure measurement, the heart, the aorta, and the kidneys were removed from anesthetized 9- and 13-mo-old Zucker obese and lean control male rats (n = 33, n = 24, n = 25, and n = 21, respectively).

Lipoprotein oxidation and plasma vitamin E in nondiabetic normotensive obese patients.

Objective: To correlate the susceptibility of low-(LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein to oxidation in vitro and the concentrations of serum antibodies against malondialdehyde-modified LDL and plasma vitamin E with the anthropometric and laboratory characteristics of obesity.

Research Methods And Procedures: A total of 75 nondiabetic, normotensive obese patients were assigned to one of four groups according to their body mass index (BMI): moderately obese (30 View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Induction of apoptosis of endothelial cells by Viscum album: a role for anti-tumoral properties of mistletoe lectins.

Background: Viscum album (VA) preparations consist of aqueous extracts of different types of lectins of VA. Mistletoe lectins have both cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties that support their study for the development for cancer therapy. However, the mechanisms of the anti- tumoral properties in vivo of mistletoe lectins are not fully understood.