title: Mathematical model of renal interstitial fibrosis.
abstract: Lupus nephritis (LN) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when autoantibodies complex with self-antigen and form immune complexes that accumulate in the glomeruli. These immune complexes initiate an inflammatory response resulting in glomerular injury. LN often concomitantly affects the tubulointerstitial compartment of the kidney, leading first to interstitial inflammation and subsequently to interstitial fibrosis and atrophy of the renal tubules if not appropriately treated. Presently the only way to assess interstitial inflammation and fibrosis is through kidney biopsy, which is invasive and cannot be repeated frequently. Hence, monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy is suboptimal. In this paper we describe a mathematical model of the progress from tubulointerstitial inflammation to fibrosis. We demonstrate how the model can be used to monitor treatments for interstitial fibrosis in LN with drugs currently being developed or used for nonrenal fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Mathematical Biosciences Institute.
authors.forename: Wenrui
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, College of Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Brad H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Rovin
authors.affiliation: Mathematical Biosciences Institute and Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 afriedman@mbi.osu.edu.
authors.forename: Avner
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002452:Cell Count; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018450:Disease Progression; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000473:pathology; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000473:pathology; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases
keywords: math modeling; renal fibrosis; tubulointerstitial inflammation