Renoprotective effects of combining ACE inhibitors and statins in experimental diabetic rats

BACKGROUND AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The combination of angiotensin II receptor antagonists and HMG CoA reductase inhibitors have shown to confer renoprotection.The purpose of this study was to find out the renoprotective effects of telmisartan and atorvastatin in combination and in monotherapy of Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic nephropathy in rats. METHODS: Diabetes was induced by i.p injection of STZ to rats, after 18 hrs of fasting. Diabetic rats were randomly grouped and treated with telmisartan and atorvastatin in combination as well as monotherapy for 30 days. The serum and urine glucose, creatinine and serum triglyceride, cholesterol, albumin and micro-albumin and blood urea nitrogen, total protein and histological analyses of the left kidney were performed at the end of the study. RESULTS: By the end of the study, the combination showed significant (P < 0.05) improvement in urine glucose, serum cholesterol, serum and urine creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, total protein, serum albumin, micro-albuminuria levels in comparison to monotherapy. However, this combination didn't show significant changes on serum glucose and triglyceride levels. Kidney pathological injury was attenuated by the combination as compared to the diabetic group. CONCLUSION: The present study document that, telmisartan and atorvastatin combination have better renoprotective effects but not with individual drug when compared to the diabetic group. The combination also attenuated the progression of diabetic nephropathy by slowing the proteinuria and microalbuminuria and these effects were confirmed by histopathological analysis.