The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor sitagliptin ameliorates renal injury in type 1 diabetic mice via inhibiting the TGF-ß/Smad signal pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) all over the world. Sitagliptin, an inhibitor of DPP-IV plays a beneficial role in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect and mechanism of sitagliptin on renal injury in type 1 diabetic mice. Streptozotocin (STZ) induced type 1 diabetic mice were treated with oral administration of sitagliptin (15 mg/kg/ day) for 4 weeks. The results showed that sitagliptin treatment did not change the levels of blood glucose in STZ induced type 1 diabetic mice. Sitagliptin attenuates diabetic nephropathy by significantly inhibiting 24 h proteinuria, renal injury and fibrosis. Sitagliptin can inhibit the expression level of TGF-ß1 and the other related fibrosis factors in renal tissue of type 1 diabetic mice while delaying the progression of type 1 diabetic nephropathy. These results indicated that sitagliptin treatment is potentially a new strategy for treating type 1 diabetic nephropathy.