Publications by authors named "Yun-Peng Chang"

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disease characterized by elevated serum uric acid (SUA). Empagliflozin, a kind of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, has recently emerged as a new antidiabetic agent by facilitating glucose excretion in urine. Moreover, there was evidence of SUA reduction following treatment with empagliflozin in addition to glycaemic control, while the molecular mechanisms remain unknown.

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Calcium dobesilate (CaD), an effective drug for the treatment of diabetic microvascular complications, especially diabetic retinopathy, is widely used in the clinic. Interestingly, several studies have indicated that CaD is therapeutic for diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Recently, evidence has indicated that altered vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and decreased autophagy are the main pathological mechanisms of proteinuria.

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Fibrosis is the major pathological feature of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Autophagy, a process to maintain metabolic homeostasis, is obviously inhibited in DKD. Triptolide (TP) is a traditional Chinese medicine extract known for immune suppression and anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities.

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The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor saxagliptin has been found to reduce progressive albuminuria, but the exact mechanism of inhibition is unclear. Podocyte epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has emerged as a potential pathway leading to proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), one of the substrates of DPP-4, can activate the protein kinase A pathway and subsequently inhibit its downstream effector, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), which induces podocyte EMT.

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