Sterile vesicoureteral reflux decreases tubular cell apoptosis in rat kidney.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the possible role of apoptosis in reflux-related renal scarring by investigating how sterile vesicoureteral reflux affects apoptosis of glomerular and tubular cells in the rat kidney.


METHODS
Twenty-nine rats were assigned to one of three groups: group 1, reflux (n = 10); group 2, sham surgery (n = 9); and group 3, controls (n = 10). All rats underwent bilateral nephrectomy 42 days later. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling was used to detect the apoptotic cells, and separate apoptotic index values for glomerular cells (GCAI) and tubular cells (TCAI) were calculated in each kidney (left and right from each animal).


RESULTS
The mean TCAI value in the left kidney from groups 1, 2, and 3 was 0.86% +/- 0.26%, 1.20% +/- 0.18%, and 1.19% +/- 0.14%, respectively. The corresponding TCAI values for the right kidneys were 0.77% +/- 0.21%, 1.10% +/- 0.34%, and 1.06% +/- 0.15%. The mean GCAI value in the left kidney from groups 1, 2, and 3 was 0.26% +/- 0.14%, 0.28% +/- 0.08%, and 0.20% +/- 0.10%, respectively. The corresponding GCAI values for the right kidneys were 0.23% +/- 0.06%, 0.26% +/- 0.06%, and 0.22% +/- 0.12%. Analysis revealed no significant differences among the groups with respect to GCAI in the left kidneys (P = 0.258) or right kidneys (P = 0.618). The mean TCAI values in group 1 were significantly lower than the corresponding values in groups 2 and 3 for the left (P = 0.001) and right (P = 0.012) kidneys.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to have shown that sterile vesicoureteral reflux decreases apoptosis in tubular cells in rat kidneys with vesicoureteral reflux.
Guvel
Sezgin
S
Department of Urology, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Adana Teaching and Medical Research Center, Adana, Turkey. sezginguvel@mynet.com
Kilinc
Ferhat
F
Kayaselcuk
Fazilet
F
Egilmez
Tulga
T
Ozkardes
Hakan
H
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000473:pathology*