Vol. 1, Issue 9, Part C (2015)

Abstract
Diabetic nephropathy (DNP) is a chronic kidney disease caused by diabetes that leads to end stage renal diseases. The disease is being diagnosed clinically by using microalbuminuria test, which is highly nonspecific. Several animal models have been developed to elucidate the pathophysiology of DNP and to identify innovative therapies for preventing the progression of nephropathy. The animals were either induced with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and were allowed to progress to nephropathy. Since DNP is a chronic disease, the most common challenge faced by several investigators is to maintain the animals in diabetic condition for a longer period of time. Although both mice and rat models are used for studying DNP, rats are generally preferred because of the longer life-span. The rat models generally used for type-2 diabetes induced nephropathy are Goto-Kakizaki and obese ZUCKER rats. At the age of 14rnweeks, these rats spontaneously develop diabetes and if they are maintained in hyperglycemic state for a time span of 12 months, they progressed to DNP. However, nodular glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis were not observed in these rats, which are the most prominent pathological features observed in human DNP.