[The role of smooth muscle alpha-actin in development of renal fibrosis in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate expression of smooth muscle alpha-actin (a-SMA) in renal glomeruli and interstitium of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) for assessment of the disease progression and prognosis.


METHODS
Expression of a-SMA in renal tissue was studied immunohistochemically, area of the interstitium and the degree of its interstitial inflammatory infiltration were investigated morphometrically in 45 biopsy specimens of renal tissue from patients with different morphological types of CGN and 7 specimens of normal renal tissue.


RESULTS
a-SMA expression in the glomeruli was higher in patients with proliferative morphological forms of CGN [34.3% (26.1-40.6)] than in patients with nonproliferative nephritis forms [22.3% (18.5-22.3)], p < 0.001; it was the highest in patients with sclerotic alterations in the glomeruli [55.3% (37-61.8)], p < 0.01. The degree of a-SMA expression in renal interstitium of CGN patients correlated most closely with severity of tubulo-interstitial fibrosis (Rs = 0.08, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between glomerular a-SMA expression in renal biopsies and proteinuria, creatinine level in the serum of CGN patients, while a-SMA interstitial expression correlated both with severity of proteinuria (rs = 0.5, p < 0.05) and that of renal failure (rs = 0.7, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
High expression of a-SMA in CGN occurs both in the glomeruli and interstitium of the kidney and evidences for activation of fibrogenesis but only interstitional expression can be considered as a morphological sign of CGN progression and as a factor of an unfavourable prognosis.
Chebotareva
N V
NV
Bobkova
I N
IN
Varshavskiĭ
V A
VA
Golitsyna
E P
EP
Kozlovskaia
L V
LV
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000378:metabolism*; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis
D000199:Actins