Glomerular endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Urgent call for reconsideration of chronic kidney disease

Circulating toxins namely: free radicals, cytokines and metabolic products induce glomerular endothelial dysfunction, hemodynamic maladjustment and chronic ischemic state;this leads to tubulointerstitial fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Altered vascular homeostasis observed in late stage CKD revealed defective angiogenesis and impaired nitric oxide production explaining therapeutic resistance to vasodilator treatment in late stage CKD. Under current practice, CKD patients are diagnosed and treated at a rather late stage due to the lack of sensitivity of the diagnostic markers available. This suggests the need for an alternative therapeutic strategy implementing the therapeutic approach at an early stage. This view is supported by the normal or mildly impaired vascular homeostasis observed in early stage CKD. Treatment at this early stage can potentially enhance renal perfusion, correct the renal ischemic state and restore renal function. Thus, this alternative therapeutic approach would effectively prevent end-stage renal disease.

Enhanced peritubular capillary flow and renal function can be accomplished in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic nephropathy

Under common practice, treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is usually initiated at late stage of CKD due to the insensitiveness of the available diagnostic markers. Such treatment fails to restore renal perfusion and function. This is due to the defective mechanism of vascular homeostasis and impaired nitric oxide production observed in late stage of DN. In contrast, the mechanism of vascular repair is adequately functional in early stage of DN (normoalbuminuria). In this study, we treated 50 normoalbuminuric diabetic patients with multidrug vasodilators, namely ACE inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, ± calcium channel blocker in conjunction with correction of metabolic disorders for 24-36 months. Following the treatment, increment in peritubular capillary flow in response to vasodilators was observed, and thus supports the adequate role of vascular repair. In addition, increase in renal function documented in this study also implies that an effective preventive strategy to minimize end-stage renal disease can be accomplished in normoalbuminuric DN.