Dietary Perilla seed oil supplement increases plasma omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and ameliorates immunoglobulin A nephropathy in high immunoglobulin A strain of ddY mice.

Background/aims: The beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) have been reported. Perilla frutescens (Linn.) Britton var.

Vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression is correlated with glomerular neovascularization in human diabetic nephropathy.

Background: In diabetic nephropathy (DN) small vessels are frequently observed around the glomerular vascular pole in addition to normal afferent and efferent arterioles; this is regarded as neovascularization . Because vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes vascular generation, the authors investigated the relationship between glomerular VEGF gene expression and structural glomerular changes in the early stage of human DN.

Methods: Kidney specimens were obtained from 18 type 2 DN patients by open renal biopsy.