| pubmed-article:8482050 | pubmed:abstractText | 1. It has been suggested that tubular damage may precede glomerular damage at the onset of diabetic nephropathy. This may be reflected by increased urinary excretion of low-molecular-mass proteins, such as retinol-binding protein. 2. We have measured the urinary excretion rate of retinol-binding protein overnight, during orthostasis and during a hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp (blood glucose concentration 7.0 mmol/l) with stable diuresis in 34 normotensive, normoalbuminuric insulin-dependent diabetic patients and in 10 normal control subjects. Normal control subjects were not clamped. A further four normoalbuminuric insulin-dependent diabetic patients were rendered euglycaemic without a water load. 3. Overnight retinol-binding protein excretion rate was 58 (16-157) [median(range)] ng/min in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and 32 (15-72) ng/min in control subjects (P < 0.01). The excretion rate did not change during orthostasis [patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, 67 (3-173) ng/min; control subjects, 23 (5-78) ng/min]. During the euglycaemic clamp retinol-binding protein excretion rate increased to 383 (78-4897) ng/min in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (P < 0.01). An average increment in retinol-binding protein excretion rate of greater than 4000% was noted after acute euglycaemia in those patients with insulin-dependent diabetes who were not water-loaded. 4. In insulin-dependent diabetes, both overnight and orthostatic retinal-binding protein excretion was not correlated with fasting blood glucose concentration, HbA1, fructosamine or duration of diabetes. The absolute and incremental excretion rates of retinol-binding protein during the clamp were, however, correlated with both fasting blood glucose concentration and glucose excretion rate (rs = 0.41-0.48, P < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) | lld:pubmed |
