title: Characteristics of podocyte injury in malignant hypertensive nephropathy of rats (MSHRSP/Kpo strain).
abstract: Proteinuria is not only a hallmark of renal complication in malignant hypertension, but is also a major deteriorating factor for the progression to end-stage renal disease. Podocyte injury plays a crucial role in the renal damage associated with hypertensive nephropathy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (MSHRSP/Kpo) represent an original and useful model of human malignant hypertension. In this study, we disclosed the glomerular injuries in the MSHRSP/Kpo. MSHRSP/Kpo exhibited elevated blood pressure at 6 weeks along with renal dysfunction and proteinuria. Histological analysis of the MSHRSP/Kpo glomeruli revealed a severe atrophy, but no change was found in the podocyte number. The expression levels of podocyte-specific proteins, nephrin, podocin, and synaptopodin were decreased in the MSHRSP/Kpo glomeruli, though another podocyte-specific protein, CD2AP, in the MSHRSP/Kpo glomeruli exhibited a similar extent of staining as in normotensive WKY/Kpo rats. Furthermore, desmin was not markedly detected in the WKY/Kpo glomeruli, but was strongly positive in MSHRSP/Kpo. By electron microscopy, well-formed foot processes (FP) were replaced by effacement in MSHRSP/Kpo. An original malignant hypertension strain MSHRSP/Kpo exhibits podocyte injuries associated with the decrease of some podocyte-specific proteins and the upregulation of desmin, along with FP effacement and proteinuria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Kinki University.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mizuguchi
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D050199:Podocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY