Expression of ACE and ACE2 in Individuals with Diabetic Kidney Disease and Healthy Controls

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 (ACE2) is expressed mainly in the heart and kidney and forms angiotensin-1-7 from angiotensin II. ACE2 might act in a counterregulatory manner to ACE. There is little information about renal ACE and ACE2 expression in human diabetic nephropathy.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting & Participants: Kidney tissue from 20 patients with type 2 diabetes and overt nephropathy and 20 healthy kidney donors.

Predictor: Diabetes status.

Outcomes & Measurements: Renal expression of ACE and ACE2 assessed by means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Correlation between ACE and ACE2 expression and levels of various biochemical parameters.

Results: Decreased ACE2 and increased ACE expression in both the tubulointerstitium and glomeruli resulted in a significant (P < 0.001) increase in ACE/ACE2 ratio in patients with diabetes with overt nephropathy compared with controls, although ACE messenger RNA in the tubulointerstitium did not significantly increase. ACE/ACE2 ratio correlated positively with values for mean blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, proteinuria, and hemoglobin A(1c) and inversely with estimated glomerular filtration rate (P < 0.001).

Limitations: Inclusion of small number of human renal biopsy specimens with structural distortion of cortical tissue.

Conclusions: The high ACE/ACE2 ratio in kidneys of patients with type 2 diabetes with overt nephropathy may contribute to renal injury.