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Dealing with large sample sizes: comparison of a new one spot dot blot method to western blot
(2014)
Background: Western blot is the gold standard method to determine individual protein expression levels. However, western blot is technically difficult to perform in large sample sizes because it is a time consuming and labor intensive process. Dot blot is often used instead when dealing with large sample sizes, but the main disadvantage of the existing dot blot techniques, is the absence of signal normalization to a housekeeping protein.
Methods: In this study we established a one dot two development signals (ODTDS) dot blot method employing two different signal development systems. The first signal from the protein of interest was detected by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The second signal, detecting the housekeeping protein, was obtained by using alkaline phosphatase (AP).
Results: Inter-assay results variations within ODTDS dot blot and western blot and intra-assay variations between both methods were low (1.04 - 5.71%) as assessed by coefficient of variation.
Conclusions: ODTDS dot blot technique can be used instead of western blot when dealing with large sample sizes without a reduction in results accuracy.
Background: Despite the beneficial effects of type 4 dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP-4) inhibitors on glucose levels, its effects on diabetic nephropathy remain unclear.
Method: This study examined the long-term renoprotective effects of DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin in db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes.
Results were compared with the known beneficial effects of renin-angiotensin system blockade by enalapril. Ten-week-old male diabetic db/db mice were treated for 3 months with either vehicle (n = 10), 3 mg linagliptin/kg per day (n = 8), or 20 mg enalapril/kg per day (n = 10). Heterozygous db/m mice treated with vehicle served as healthy controls (n = 8). Results: Neither linagliptin nor enalapril had significant effects on the parameters of glucose metabolism or blood pressure in diabetic db/db mice. However, linagliptin treatment reduced albuminuria and attenuated kidney injury. In addition, expression of podocyte marker podocalyxin was normalized. We also analysed DPP-4 expression by immunofluorescence in human kidney biopsies and detected upregulation of DPP-4 in the glomeruli of patients with diabetic nephropathy, suggesting that our findings might be of relevance for human kidney disease as well.
Conclusion: Treatment with DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin delays the progression of diabetic nephropathy damage in a glucose-independent and blood-pressure-independent manner. The observed effects may be because of the attenuation of podocyte injury and inhibition of myofibroblast transformation.