title: [Role of mast cells in the development of renal interstitial fibrosis in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of mast cells in the development of renal interstitial fibrosis in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and possible mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Paraffin-embedded renal biopsy tissue sections from 20 children with HSPN were examined for the levels of tryptase-beta and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) by immunohistochemical staining. Mast cells were counted by toluidine blue staining. Masson staining was used to assess the level of renal interstitial fibrosis and renal histopathological scores. Normal renal tissue sections from 5 nephrectomized children for nephroma were used as control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentages of positive tryptase-beta cellsand mast cells and the TGF-beta1 expression in the HSPN group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The percentages of positive tryptase-beta cells and mast cells and the TGF-beta1 expression in renal tissue were positively correlated with the glomeruli histopathological score (r =0.940, 0.920, 0.937, respectively; P < 0.05) and were also positively correlated with the histopathological score of renal interstitium (r=0.903, 0.859, 0.948, respectively; P < 0.05). The level of renal interstitial fibrosis was positively correlated with the percentages of positive tryptase-beta cells and mast cells and the expression of TGF-beta1 (r =0.790, 0.766, 0.858, respectively; P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the percentages of positive tryptase-beta cells and mast cells (r =0.941, P < 0.05), between the percentage of positive tryptase-beta cells and the TGF-beta1 expression (r =0.897, P < 0.05) and between the percentage of positive mast cells and the TGF-beta1 expression (r=0.942, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tubulointerstitial mast cell infiltration is associated with the development of renal interstitial fibrosis in children with HSPN. Mast cells together with TGF-beta1 and mast cell-derived tryptase-beta may be involved in the development of the renal interstitial fibrosis in HSPN.
authors: Department of Respiratory, Children's Hospital of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China. zhanggaoping10@163.com
authors: Gao-Ping
authors: GP
authors: Zhang
authors: Xi-Qiang
authors: XQ
authors: Dang
authors: Zhu-Wen
authors: ZW
authors: Yi
authors: Xiao-Jie
authors: XJ
authors: He
authors: Jian-Jiang
authors: JJ
authors: Zhang
authors: Xiao-Chuan
authors: XC
authors: Wu
authors: Shuang-Hong
authors: SH
authors: Mo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009393:Nephritis / Q000473:pathology*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000032:analysis; D053802:Tryptases / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D053802:Tryptases