Millions of people living with diabetes face the serious risk of kidney disease.
In the UK alone, around 4.8 million people have diabetes, and nearly 40% of them could develop kidney problems that may lead to dialysis or even a kidney transplant.
But a new discovery from researchers at the University of Bristol brings fresh hope.
The team studied spironolactone, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure. It is known to lower the amount of protein that leaks into the urine, which is a warning sign of kidney damage. However, doctors are often careful when using this drug because it can raise potassium levels in the blood, which can be dangerous.
The researchers wanted to understand how spironolactone helps protect the kidneys. They found that the drug helps preserve a thin, gel-like layer called the glycocalyx, which covers blood vessels in the kidneys. This layer plays a key role in keeping kidneys healthy, but in people with diabetes, it often gets damaged.
Using samples from kidney biopsies, the team developed a new way to measure how deep the glycocalyx layer is. Their results showed that diabetes causes serious harm to this layer, but spironolactone can prevent that damage.
They also discovered that spironolactone slows down the activity of certain enzymes, called matrix metalloproteases. These enzymes can break down the glycocalyx layer. By stopping them, spironolactone helps the kidneys stay healthy and slows down kidney disease.
This new understanding could help scientists find or create new treatments that protect the kidneys just like spironolactone—but without the risk of high potassium. The researchers are now looking into other drugs that could safely block the harmful enzymes.
This study is a big step forward in the search for better treatments for diabetic kidney disease. It offers hope that people with diabetes might avoid dialysis or transplants in the future.
If you have diabetes, taking care of your kidneys is very important. Some helpful tips include keeping your blood sugar in a healthy range, controlling your blood pressure, eating well, exercising regularly, not smoking, taking medications as directed, and getting your kidneys tested regularly.
This promising research was led by Dr. Matthew Butler and published in the journal JCI Insight. It opens the door to safer, more effective ways to protect the kidneys of people living with diabetes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies about vitamin D and type2 diabetes, and to people with type 2 diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
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