Renin angiotensin system (RAS) is known to play a key role in several diseases such as diabetes, and renal and cardiovascular pathologies. Its blockade has been demonstrated to delay chronic kidney ...disease progression and cardiovascular damage in diabetic patients. In this sense, since local RAS has been described, the aim of this study is to characterize angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 activities, as well as protein expression, in several tissues of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice model. After 21 or 40 days of diabetes onset, mouse serums and tissues were analyzed for ACE and ACE2 enzyme activities and protein expression. ACE and ACE2 enzyme activities were detected in different tissues. Their expressions vary depending on the studied tissue. Thus, whereas ACE activity was highly expressed in lungs, ACE2 activity was highly expressed in pancreas among the studied tissues. Interestingly, we also observed that diabetes up-regulates ACE mainly in serum, lung, heart, and liver, and ACE2 mainly in serum, liver, and pancreas. In conclusion, we found a marked serum and pulmonary alteration in ACE activity of diabetic mice, suggesting a common regulation. The increase of ACE2 activity within the circulation in diabetic mice may be ascribed to a compensatory mechanism of RAS.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to carry out a review of the academic literature about corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) highlighting aspects that help us to define socially irresponsible ...behaviour and its relationship with socially responsible behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a Boolean search of studies related to terms of irresponsibility undertaken from 1956 to October 2016, the authors develop a review of the literature focussing on the main perspectives used for defining the term of CSIR.
Findings
The paper provides a framework of three main dimensions for understanding the differences in the literature that defines CSIR: who defines irresponsible behaviour, an impartial observer or a specific group of stakeholders, whether it is a firm strategy or a punctual action and which is the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CSIR, continuity vs orthogonal relationship.
Originality/value
The paper provides and extensive and original review of a key construct, CSIR, and develops some insights about its antecedents and consequences. The authors try to provide light to the contradictory situation where a growing interest in CSR and the increase in voluntary commitments adopted by company leaders incorporating CSR into their strategies are, paradoxically, increasingly associated with CSIR.
Role of ADAM17 in kidney disease Palau, Vanesa; Pascual, Julio; Soler, Maria José ...
American journal of physiology. Renal physiology,
08/2019, Letnik:
317, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
It is known that the renin-angiotensin system plays a major role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and renal injury. Within the renin-angiotensin system, angiotensin-converting enzyme ...2 (ACE2) cleaves ANG II to generate ANG(1-7) peptide, which counteracts the adverse effects of ANG II accumulation. ACE2 can undergo cleavage or shedding to release the catalytically active ectodomain into the circulation by a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)17, also known as TNF-α-converting enzyme. ADAM17 is involved in many pathological processes such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Clinical and experimental studies have shown that ADAM17 is involved in chronic kidney disease (CKD) with a proinflammatory and profibrotic role, suggesting that it could be an important mediator of CKD progression. ADAM17 inhibition attenuates fibrosis and inflammation, suggesting that its inhibition may be a possible new valuable therapeutic tool in fibrotic kidney disease treatment. In addition, in renal disease, some experimental studies have demonstrated that ADAM17 is differently expressed in the kidney. Thus, ADAM17 is highly expressed in distal renal tubules and increased in the whole kidney in diabetic models. In this article, we will review the role of ADAM17 under physiological and pathological conditions. We will mainly focus on the importance of ADAM17 in the context of CKD.
Circulating and renal activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is increased in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Because paricalcitol has been reported to protect against diabetic nephropathy, ...we investigated the role of paricalcitol in modulating ACE2 in these mice. In addition, renal ADAM17, a metalloprotease implied in ACE2 shedding, was assessed. NOD female and non-diabetic control mice were studied for 21 days after diabetes onset and divided into various treatment groups. Diabetic animals received either vehicle; 0.4 or 0.8 μg/kg paricalcitol, aliskiren, or a combination of paricalcitol and aliskiren. We then studied the effect of paricalcitol on ACE2 expression in proximal tubular epithelial cells. Paricalcitol alone or in combination with aliskiren resulted in significantly reduced circulating ACE2 activity in NOD mice but there were no changes in urinary albumin excretion. Serum renin activity was significantly decreased in mice that received aliskiren but no effect was found when paricalcitol was used alone. Renal content of ADAM17 was significantly decreased in animals that received a high dose of paricalcitol. Renal and circulating oxidative stress (quantified by plasma H2O2 levels and immunolocalization of nitrotyrosine) were reduced in high-dose paricalcitol-treated mice compared with non-treated diabetic mice. In culture, paricalcitol incubation resulted in a significant increase in ACE2 expression compared with nontreated cells. In NOD mice with type 1 diabetes, paricalcitol modulates ACE2 activity, ADAM17, and oxidative stress renal content independently from the glycemic profile and urinary albumin excretion. In tubular cells, paricalcitol may modulate ACE2 by blocking its shedding. In the early stage of diabetic nephropathy, paricalcitol treatment counterbalances the effect of diabetes on circulating ACE2 activity. Our results suggest that additional use of paricalcitol may be beneficial in treating patients with diabetes under standard therapeutic strategies.
RAS and sex differences in diabetic nephropathy Clotet, Sergi; Riera, Marta; Pascual, Julio ...
American journal of physiology. Renal physiology,
05/2016, Letnik:
310, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The incidence and progression of kidney diseases are influenced by sex. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important regulator of cardiovascular and renal function. Sex differences in the renal ...response to RAS blockade have been demonstrated. Circulating and renal RAS has been shown to be altered in type 1 and type 2 diabetes; this enzymatic cascade plays a critical role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 are differentially regulated depending on its localization within the diabetic kidney. Furthermore, clinical and experimental studies have shown that circulating levels of sex hormones are clearly modulated in the context of diabetes, suggesting that sex-dependent RAS regulation may be also be affected in these individuals. The effect of sex hormones on circulating and renal RAS may be involved in the sex differences observed in DN progression. In this paper we will review the influence of sex hormones on RAS expression and its relation to diabetic kidney disease. A better understanding of the sex dimorphism on RAS might provide a new approach for diabetic kidney disease treatment.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 play a critical role in the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) by altering angiotensin II (ANGII) levels, thus governing its deleterious effects. Both enzymes ...are altered by sex and diabetes, and play an important role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Importantly, previous evidence in diabetic and ACE2-deficient (ACE2KO) males suggest a sex-dependent crosstalk between renal ACE and ACE2. In the present work, we aimed to study the sex-specific susceptibility to diabetes and direct infusion of ANGII in kidney disease progression, with a special focus on its link to ACE2 and ACE. In our mouse model, ANGII promoted hypertension, albuminuria, reduced glomerular filtration, and glomerular histological alterations. ANGII adverse effects were accentuated by diabetes and ACE2 deficiency, in a sex-dependent fashion: ACE2 deficiency accentuated ANGII-induced hypertension, albuminuria, and glomerular hypertrophy in diabetic females, whereas in diabetic males exacerbated ANGII-mediated glomerular hypertrophy, mesangial expansion, and podocyte loss. At the molecular level, ANGII downregulated renal ACE gene and enzymatic activity levels, as well as renin gene expression in ACE2KO mice. Interestingly, male sex and diabetes accentuated this effect. Here we show sex dimorphism in the severity of diabetes- and ANGII-related renal lesions, and demonstrate that ACE2- and ACE-related compensatory mechanisms are sex-specific. Supporting our previous findings, the modulation and ANGII-mediated crosstalk between ACE2 and ACE in DN progression was more evident in males. This work increases the understanding of the sex-specific role of ACE2 and ACE in DN, reinforcing the necessity of more personalized treatments targeting RAS.
Sex and diabetes affect angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 expression and are key determinants of kidney disease progression. Here the authors demonstrate that there are sex differences in the severity of angiotensin II (ANGII)-hypertension and diabetic nephropathy, the activation of the renin-angiotensin system cascade, and the crosstalk between ACE and ACE2 in vivo. This work increases our understanding of the sex-specific role of ACE2 and ACE in diabetic nephropathy, reinforcing the necessity of individualized treatments.
Renin-angiotensin system within the diabetic podocyte Márquez, Eva; Riera, Marta; Pascual, Julio ...
American journal of physiology. Renal physiology,
2015-Jan-01, 2015-01-01, 20150101, Letnik:
308, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Diabetic kidney disease is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Podocytes are differentiated cells necessary for the development and maintenance of the glomerular basement membrane and the ...capillary tufts, as well as the function of the glomerular filtration barrier. The epithelial glomerular cells express a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that varies in different pathological situations such as hyperglycemia or mechanical stress. RAS components have been shown to be altered in diabetic podocytopathy, and their modulation may modify diabetic nephropathy progression. Podocytes are a direct target for angiotensin II-mediated injury by altered expression and distribution of podocyte proteins. Furthermore, angiotensin II promotes podocyte injury indirectly by inducing cellular hypertrophy, increased apoptosis, and changes in the anionic charge of the glomerular basement membrane, among other effects. RAS blockade has been shown to decrease the level of proteinuria and delay the progression of chronic kidney disease. This review summarizes the local intraglomerular RAS and its imbalance in diabetic podocytopathy. A better understanding of the intrapodocyte RAS might provide a new approach for diabetic kidney disease treatment.
We studied the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice model because it develops autoimmune diabetes that resembles human type 1 diabetes. In diabetic mice, urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was ten-fold ...increased at an "early stage" of diabetes, and twenty-fold increased at a "later stage" (21 and 40 days, respectively after diabetes diagnosis) as compared to non-obese resistant controls. In NOD Diabetic mice, glomerular enlargement, increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and increased blood pressure were observed in the early stage. In the late stage, NOD Diabetic mice developed mesangial expansion and reduced podocyte number. Circulating and urine ACE2 activity were markedly increased both, early and late in Diabetic mice. Insulin administration prevented albuminuria, markedly reduced GFR, blood pressure, and glomerular enlargement in the early stage; and prevented mesangial expansion and the reduced podocyte number in the late stage of diabetes. The increase in serum and urine ACE2 activity was normalized by insulin administration at the early and late stages of diabetes in Diabetic mice. We conclude that the Diabetic mice develops features of early kidney disease, including albuminuria and a marked increase in GFR. ACE2 activity is increased starting at an early stage in both serum and urine. Moreover, these alterations can be completely prevented by the chronic administration of insulin.