Fig. 1.

PGE1 had no effect on blood glucose but reduced urinary microalbumin levels after the establishment of the DKD model. a General flow chart of the animal experiments. Each experimental group contained six rats, and timelines of DKD model establishment and STZ and PGE1 injections are displayed. The injection volumes for STZ and PGE1 in the rats were 45 mg/kg and 10 µg/kg, respectively. b H&E, PAS and PASM staining were used to confirm the establishment of the DKD model. A1–B3 mainly show glomeruli (×400 magnification). Scale bar, 30 µm. C1-D3 show renal tubules (×200 magnification). Scale bar, 50 µm. Non-DKD kidneys were from the sham and Unx groups. c Changes in the blood glucose levels (mmol/L) of the different groups on day 0, day 10, day 38, and day 48. The data represent the means ± SEM (n = 6 per group). **P < 0.01 versus the Unx group. d Twenty-four-hour urinary protein levels were measured by an ELISA kit on day 0, day 38, and day 48. The data represent the means ± SEM (n = 6 per group). *P < 0.05 versus the PGE1 group