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Microinflammation is a common major mechanism in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications, including diabetic nephropathy. Macrophage scavenger receptor-A (SR-A) is a multifunctional receptor expressed on macrophages. This study aimed to determine the role of SR-A in diabetic nephropathy using SR-A–deficient (SR-A−/−) mice. Diabetes was induced in SR-A−/− and wild-type (SR-A+/+) mice by streptozotocin injection. Diabetic SR-A+/+ mice presented characteristic features of diabetic nephropathy: albuminuria, glomerular hypertrophy, mesangial matrix expansion, and overexpression of transforming growth factor-β at 6 months after induction of diabetes. These changes were markedly diminished in diabetic SR-A−/− mice, without differences in blood glucose and blood pressure levels. Interestingly, macrophage infiltration in the kidneys was dramatically decreased in diabetic SR-A−/− mice compared with diabetic SR-A+/+ mice. DNA microarray revealed that proinflammatory genes were overexpressed in renal cortex of diabetic SR-A+/+ mice and suppressed in diabetic SR-A−/− mice. Moreover, anti–SR-A antibody blocked the attachment of monocytes to type IV collagen substratum but not to endothelial cells. Our results suggest that SR-A promotes macrophage migration into diabetic kidneys by accelerating the attachment to renal extracellular matrices. SR-A may be a key molecule for the inflammatory process in pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy and a novel therapeutic target for diabetic vascular complications.

A new reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor was extracted and purified from the red alga Schizymenia pacifica. The chromatographic behavior and chemical properties of this sea algal extract (SAE) suggest that it is a sulfated polysaccharide having a molecular weight of approximately 2,000,000. SAE is composed of galactose (73%), sulfonate (20%), and 3,6-anhydrogalactose (0.65%). SAE is a member of the X-carrageenan family, based on its infrared spectrum and products of hydrolysis. SAE selectively inhibited human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RT and replication in vitro. When MT-4 cells were treated with more than 104 inhibitory units (IU) of SAE per ml after HIV infection, significant inhibition of viral antigen synthesis was observed. Furthermore, more than 90% of cells were viable in the cultures exposed to 4 x 104 to 8 x 104 IU of SAE per ml, while almost all the MT-4 cells in the control culture had died by 10 days after HIV infection. The inhibitory effect of SAE on HIV replication was confirmed by plaque reduction assays. The 50% inhibitory dose of SAE was 9.5 x 103 IU/mi. Chondroitin sulfate A, dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate, keratan polysulfate, and heparin also inhibited the RT of avian myeloblastosis virus. SAE immediately inhibited RT activity when added to an assay mixture after the start of the reaction.

Ancovenin, an inhibitor of angiotensin I converting enzyme isolated from the culture broth of a Streptomyces species, is a dialysable peptide composed of sixteen amino acid residues containing unusual amino acids such as threo-;3-methyllanthionine, meso-lanthionine, and dehydroalanine. * In the preliminary tests , the IC50 value of ancovenin to rat lung ACE is 8.5 x 10-8 M, while the values of captopril, MK-422, and potentiator C, a peptidyl inhibitor, are 1.4X10-1m, 3.5x10-1m, and 5.6x10-7M, respectively.

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