PREVENTION OF GLOMERULAR HYPERTROPHY AND GLOMERULOSCLEROSIS IN MILAN NORMOTENSIVE RATS BY LOW-PROTEIN DIET, BUT NOT BY LOW-DOSE CAPTOPRIL TREATMENT

Milan normotensive rats, which spontaneously develop marked proteinuria (PU) and glomerulosclerosis (GS), were either kept on a normal-protein diet, a normal-protein diet with additional low-dose captopril (CAP), which did not affect blood pressure, or on a low-protein diet. After 8 months PU (79 +/- 25 mg/day) GS (3 +/- 2%) and total glomerular volume (TGV; 27.9 +/- 2.9 mm(3)/kidney) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the low-protein diet group than in both the normal-protein group (PU 583 +/- 210 mg/day, GS 12 +/- 5%, TGV 34.6 +/- 8 mm(3)/kidney) and the low-CAP group (PU 611 +/- 224 mg/day, GS 16 +/- 6%, TGV 41.8 +/- 8.6 mm(3)/kidney). In conclusion, the development of glomerular hypertrophy and GS in Milan normotensive rats was reduced by the low-protein diet, but not by low-CAP treatment.