Figure 6. Simvastatin restores occludin expression and ameliorates albuminuria in mice with early-stage DN.

A: Twelve week-old db/m and db/db mice were given simvastatin (SMV, 200 mg/kg, ig) for 4 weeks. Before kidney harvest, blood glucose and body weight were recorded (*P<0.01 vs. db/m). Data are presented as means ± SEMs (n = 12). There were no significant differences between db/db and db/db + simvastatin mice. B: Occludin distribution and expression was assessed in kidney sections by immunofluorescence microscopy. Representative images are shown at 400×. C: Occludin expression was also examined by immunoblotting of isolated glomerular lysate, with beta-actin as a loading control. Data is presented as means ± SEMs (n = 7). D: Urine from mice (Figure 6A) was collected for 24 h and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was determined using PAGE. Results are presented as ug/24 h (*P<0.01 db/db+SMV vs. db/db). Data are presented as means ± SEMs (n = 12).