Whether this plays a role in human diabetes or in animal models of diabetic complications, requires further studies.
However, because the cholesterol levels in our study were equal in diabetic and non-diabetic LDLR-/-ApoB100/100 mice, detecting the effects of diabetes is possible, whereas the diabetes-induced elevation in plasma lipids seen in most models of diabetic atherosclerosis hampers dissecting the contribution of other metabolic factors on cardiovascular outcome [ 15].
The validity of this model has recently been confirmed as appropriate for the study of diabetes-associated atherosclerosis by the National Institutes of Health (NIH /Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF -supported Animal Models of Diabetic Complications Consortium [ 16].
92, 93 Another growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is an important stimulus for angiogenesis, has been studied in animal models of diabetic neuropathy as well as in clinical trials in patients with diabetes.
The literature on transcriptional changes induced by KRG in rat models of diabetic retinopathy is limited.
Preclinical data suggest that cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors decrease proteinuria and preserve glomerular structure in animal models of diabetic nephropathy.
This agent has been studied in various models of diabetic complications and has been shown to attenuate diabetic renal disease, cardiac dysfunction, and atherosclerosis.
The integration of carefully designed genetic linkage and association studies with gene expression experiments in human and animal models of diabetic kidney disease appear to offer great promise for detecting the molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility to DN.
Other studies observed increased levels of CTGF associated to the development of proteinuria and interstitial fibrosis in murine models of diabetic nephropathy; in these studies, administration of CTGF antisense reduced proteinuria and serum creatinine and mesangial expansion [34].
Mice with GLU levels over 11 mM were considered as successful models of diabetic.
Table 2 summarizes the microvascular alterations seen in models of diabetic cardiomyopathy.
