Anticoagulation with hirudin abolishes the nephroprotective effect in diabetic FVL mice. (A) Blood glucose concentrations in diabetic heterozygous (FVLr/q) and diabetic homozygous (FVLq/q) mice without or with hirudin treatment. No significant differences were observed between groups of diabetic mice (n ≥ 10 for each group). (B) Albuminuria in heterozygous (FVLr/q) and homozygous (FVLq/q) mice without (black bars) or with (gray bars) hirudin treatment (n ≥ 10 for each group). (C-D) Representative images of PAS staining (C) and bar graph (D) summarizing histologic scores (n ≥ 50 glomeruli of 7 different mice per group). Scale bar indicates 15 μm (C); means ± SEM are shown. DM indicates diabetic mice (black bars); DM + Hir, diabetic mice with hirudin treatment (gray bars); *P < .05 (t test).