Diabetes mellitus is characterized by
hyperglycemia, which induces oxidative stress and perturbs a number of pathways, leading to tissue injury. One of the pathological responses to tissue injury is the development of
fibrosis and cell death.
Enalapril is a non-
thiol angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor that is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes-associated
hypertension. The present study examines the possible beneficial effects of
enalapril on the development of diabetes associated
fibrosis and DNA damage in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats (250 ± 10 g) were used in the study.
Enalapril (10 mg kg(-1) per oral) was administered for four consecutive weeks to the
streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. After 4 weeks, all the animals were sacrificed and comet assay (normal and modified) was performed to detect the normal as well as oxidative DNA damage. Expression of profibrotic marker CCN2 and
fibrosis was examined in the heart, kidney and liver of diabetic rats.
Enalapril treatment significantly restored the
malondialdehyde and
glutathione content as well as the DNA damage in the heart, kidney and liver of diabetic rat. Significant decrease in the expression of CCN2 was observed in the heart, kidney and liver of diabetic rat receiving
enalapril treatment as compared with the diabetic group. Further, the
enalapril treatment led to significant decrease in the
fibrosis and CCN2 expression in the diabetic group as compared with control. The results of the present study clearly demonstrate that
enalapril ameliorates the DNA damage, cell death and expression of CCN2 in the heart, kidney and liver of the STZ-induced diabetic rat.