High Glucose Modifies Heparansulphate Synthesis By Mouse Glomerular Epithelial Cells

Background Alterations in:proteoglycan metabolism are involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of high glucose on proteoglycan production and to find a reliable in vitro model for the study of diabetic nephropathy.Methods A clone of mouse glomerular epithelial cells was cultured in media containing elevated (30 mmol) and physiological (5 mmol) glucose, or iso-osmolar (30 mmol) mannitol concentrations. We: evaluated the synthesis of (SO4)-S-35-labeled molecules and the amount of proteoglycans by Sepharose CL6B and DEAE-Sephacel chromatographies.Results A clear decrease (56%) in total cell-layer proteoglycan synthesis was induced by 30 mmol glucose, in comparison with normal glucose. A reduction of 25% in medium associated proteoglycan synthesis was observed in high glucose cultured cells. After Sepharose CL6B, in cells cultured in high glucose, cell layer heparansulphate proteoglycan-I (Kav 6B 0.04) synthesis was reduced by about 81%, heparansulphate proteoglycan-II (Kav 6B 0.21) by about 87% and heparansulphate glycosaminoglycan (Kav 0.4-0.8) by about 91%, respectively. In mannitol-incubated cells the reductions observed were less evident and not significantly different from those in normal glucose.Conclusions These results indicate that (1) glomerular epithelial cells play a central role in proteoglycan synthesis, (2) high glucose modifies the amount and influences the different species production of these macromolecules, while osmotic forces seem to be only partially involved in these effects, and (3) this cellular clone of glomerular epithelial cells can represent a reliable in vitro model for the study of the mechanisms involved in diabetic nephropathy. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.