Reduced tubular proteinuria in hypertensive rats treated with losartan is associated with higher renal cortical megalin expression.

Background: Several clinical studies have demonstrated that angiotensin II antagonists exert renoprotective effects beyond blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. The present work aimed to test the hypothesis that the antiproteinuric effects of losartan are associated with upregulation of the multi-ligand endocytic receptors megalin and cubilin in the proximal tubule of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Materials And Methods: Fourteen-week-old SHRs were orally treated for 7 weeks with losartan (50 mg/kg, SHR-L), hydralazine (30 mg/kg, SHR-H), or vehicle (SHR-V).