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. 2014 Jul 30;87(1):74–84. doi: 10.1038/ki.2014.271

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Inflammasome activation is associated with the onset of diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice. IL-1β and IL-18 plasma levels (a) and tissue levels of Nlrp3 (nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat pyrin 3 domain) and cleaved IL-1β (cl IL-1β) in renal cortex extracts (b, c) are increased in db/db mice at 8 weeks of age (compared with 4 weeks of age) and are further increased at age 12 weeks. Tissue levels of cleaved caspase-1 (cl Casp1) and IL-18 increase between age 4 and 8 weeks and then remain elevated (b, c). Nephrin expression is reduced at 8 and decreases further at 12 weeks of age (b, c). These changes are associated with a significant increase in albuminuria (Alb) and the fractional mesangial area (FMA) in 12- but not in 8-week-old db/db mice (d, e). Markers of inflammasome activation (plasma IL-18, a; cleaved IL-1β, b) remain normal in nondiabetic db/m control mice. Mean value±s.e.m. Number of mice (a–e) in each group is shown in parentheses in a; representative immunoblots in (c) and representative periodic acid–Schiff–stained glomeruli in e, scale bar=20 μm; *P<0.05. FMA, fractional mesangial area; IL, interleukin; NS, not significant.