Although there have been major advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy, current best practice still leaves a significant treatment gap. The incidence of diabetes and associated nephropathy is increasing, with the main cause of mortality being related to cardiovascular causes. Novel therapies which are both 'cardio-rena...

Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease, and the prevalence of both diseases is rising worldwide. Treatment of type 2 diabetes is difficult in patients with chronic kidney disease because most oral antidiabetic agents are affected by renal function and their use may be contraindicated in this patient population. Antidiabetic agents that can be used in patients with type 2 diabet...

Research from over the past 20 years has implicated dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) IV and its family members in many processes and different pathologies of the immune system. Most research has been focused on either DPPIV or just a few of its family members. It is, however, essential to consider the entire DPP family when discussing any one of its members. There is a substantial overlap between fam...

The temporal courses of dipeptidyl peptidase IV gamma-glutamyltransferase and alanine aminopeptidase were followed over 70 days in the morning urine of 15 healthy persons. Subsequent to basic statistical analysis a two-step procedure was performed, including spectral analysis and the fit of a cosine function by non-linear regression. The excretion of the 3 enzymes followed an infradian biorhyth...

The amounts of dynorphin-(1-8) [dyn-(1-8)] and its seven hydrolysis products, Y, YG, YGG, YGGF, YGGFL, YGGFLR and YGGFLRR, were estimated after incubating dyn-(1-8) with a membrane fraction from either guinea-pig ileum or striatum for various times at 37 degrees C. The major hydrolysis products during the initial 5-min incubation were YGGFLR and Y, which indicates that dipeptidyl carboxypeptida...

To the Editor: We wish to draw readers’ attention to the need for caution in interpreting assays of peptidases using fluorogenic substrates such as Gly-Pro-Met-2 naphthylamide (NNap). The release of the fluorophore, 2naphthylamine, may indicate the action of a tripeptidyl peptidase releasing the tripeptide, Gly-Pro-Met, but it may also result from the sequential attack of other exopeptidases, f...