Cellmid Limited has reported positive data from a mouse model diabetic nephropathy study using two anti-midkine antibodies (MK-Ab).
The functional and histological analysis of the study identified that both the MK-Ab antibodies tested had significantly reduced kidney damage and found that the structure of the kidney was conserved in the treated animals.
The researchers at the Centre for Transplantation and Renal Research (CTRR), based at the Westmead Millennium Institute and University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, used an Adriamycin-induced mouse model of nephropathy to carry out the study.
According to renal histological assessment, glomerular sclerosis that was 48% in untreated animals was condensed to less than 20% in both MK-Ab treated groups, while interstitial volume reduced from 35% in untreated animals to 12% in both antibody groups.
MK-Ab treatment maintained tubular cell height and preserved kidney function by reducing protein leakage into the urine, said Cellmid.
Healthy weight gain and reduced mortality were also observed in the MK-Ab treated animals compared to untreated controls.
According to the data, 6.3% deaths were reported in treated animals before the end of the study, compared to 25% in the untreated animals.
The studies confirmed that anti-midkine antibodies play a prominent role in causing inflammation and damage in a number of kidney disease and injury settings.
Image: Photographs show representative histological sections from treated and untreated mice. Protein casts are bright pink; yellow arrows indicate large protein cast deposits. Photo: Courtesy of Cellmid.
