Heparanase may be a new therapeutic target in diabetic nephropathy, report investigators of a new study. Increased expression of heparanase is associated with loss of heparan sulfate, a major component of the glomerular basement membrane. This new research showed that deletion of the heparanase gene protected mice from diabetic nephropathy, and that a heparanase inhibitor decreased renal damage and albuminuria in mouse models of diabetic nephropathy.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Gil, N. et al. Heparanase is essential for the development of diabetic nephropathy in mice. Diabetes doi:10.2337/db11-1024
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Involvement of heparanase in diabetic nephropathy. Nat Rev Nephrol 8, 62 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2011.201
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2011.201