Brief report Effect of treatment with losartan on salt sensitivity and SGLT2 expression in hypertensive diabetic rats § Horacio Osorio a , Rocı ´o Bautista b , Amelia Rios c , Martha Franco b , Jose ´ Santamarı ´a b , Bruno Escalante a,c, * a Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Centro de Investigacio ´ n y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Polite ´cnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) Me ´xico City, C.P. 07360, Mexico b Department of Nephrology Instituto Nacional de Cardiologı ´a ‘‘Ignacio Chavez’’ Me ´xico City, Mexico c CINVESTAV Monterrey, Nuevo Leo ´n Me ´xico, Mexico 1. Introduction Diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher incidence of hypertension even without clinically overt renal failure [1]. Sodium retention has been suggested as a causal factor in the development of hypertension in diabetic patients, and a high incidence of salt sensitivity [2]. There are evidences suggesting that renal proximal tubular handling of sodium is a key factor in the pathogenesis of salt sensitivity. A molecular factor, which may be involved in hypertension, diabetes and salt sensitivity, are the sodium-glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) in the renal proximal tubular cells. Recently, we have reported increased SGLT2 activity and expression in the kidney from rats with renovascular hypertension [3]. Other studies also have demonstrated increased SGLTs expression in the kidney from diabetic Zucker rats [4], alloxan-induced diabetic rats and high Na + diet fed rats [5]. In this study, we decided to evaluate the influence of dietary sodium intake as well as the effect of losartan on blood pressure (BP) and SGLT2 expression in diabetic rats. diabetes research and clinical practice 86 (2009) e 46– e 49 article info Article history: Received 19 February 2009 Received in revised form 24 August 2009 Accepted 7 September 2009 Published on line 2 October 2009 Keywords: Diabetes Hypertension Salt sensitivity Kidney SGLT2 abstract Sodium-glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) in the kidney, may be involved in hypertension, diabetes and salt sensitivity. We evaluate the effect of losartan on blood pressure (BP) and SGLT2 expression in diabetic rats with high or normal salt diet. Losartan prevented an increase in BP and SGLT2 expression in diabetic rats. # 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. § This project was supported by the Mexican Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), Research Grant 81359 to Dr. Bruno Escalante and CONACyT fellowship to Horacio Osorio. * Corresponding author at: CINVESTAV Monterrey, Vı´a del Conocimiento 201 Parque Investigacio ´ n e Innovacio ´ n Tecnolo ´ gica, Apodaca NL CP 66600, Mexico. Tel.: +52 81 1156 1740. E-mail address: bescalan@cinvestav.mx (B. Escalante). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/diabres 0168-8227/$ – see front matter # 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2009.09.006