Prevention of diabetic glomerulopathy in streptozotocin diabetic rats by insulin treatment. Albumin excretion.

A single antibody radioimmunoassay has been used to measure albumin excretion in 3 groups of female Wistar rats. Two groups had streptozotocin diabetes and were treated daily with insulin for 6 months. In one of the diabetic groups good glycaemic control was attempted and throughout the 6 months plasma glucose levels were fairly close to normal (92 +/- 33 mg/100 ml at 2300 h and 186 +/- 9 mg/100 ml at 0800 h). In the other diabetic group poor control was intended and the group had consistent high plasma glucose levels (576 +/- 89 mg/100ml and 460 +/- 43 mg/100 ml). The third group was a non-diabetic control group. -- Albumin excretion was measured on two occasions: before the induction of diabetes and after 6 months of diabetes. The geometric mean albumin excretion increased from 0.38 to 2.56 mg/24 h in the 18 non-diabetic controls. In the 20 diabetic rats in "good" control the geometric mean albumin excretion increased from 0.37 to 1.58 mg/24 h (NS compared with controls) and in the group of 22 rats in poor control albumin excretion increased from 0.35 to 6.54 mg/24 h. -- The increase in albumin excretion in rats in poor control differed significantly both from that of the non-diabetic controls (2p = 0.023) and from that of the "well-controlled" diabetic rats (2p = 0.00011).