Comparative proteomics study of streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy in rats kidneys transfected with adenovirus-mediated fibromodulin gene

Background: Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) activation appears to be crucial for tissue injury in Diabetic Nephropathy (DN). Fibromodulin, the small leucine-rich proteoglycan, has been proposed to be the potent TGF-β modulator. In this study, the therapeutic effects of fibromodulin in the kidneys of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Methods: Diabetic rats received intraperitoneal (IP) injections of recombinant adenovirus expression vectors (RAd5) containing fibromodulin (RAd-FMOD) and were killed after 10 weeks. Proteins were isolated from the rat kidney and separated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ioni-zation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Results: Ten spots were identified using MALDI-TOF-MS. The identified proteins were primarily responsible for cell metabolism, cytoskeleton formation, and oxidative stress. RAd-FMOD treatment markedly attenuated the albu-minuria in diabetic rats. Conclusion: Taken together, these results provide a valuable clue in exploring the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of fibromodulin in diabetic nephropathy suggesting that it can be a potential agent in the treatment of this disease. © 2014, Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology. All rights reserved.