Role of renal progenitor-like tubular cells in the repair of acute renal tubular necrosis / 中华肾脏病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To elucidate the role of renal progenitor-like tubular cells in the repair process after acute tubular necrosis(ATN)induced by ischemia. Methods Rat ATN was developed by clamping left kidney artery for 60 minutes,and bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU),a cell division and proliferation marker,was administrated one hour before rats were sacrificed.Kidneys were isolated at 1,3,5,7,14,21,28 days after injury.The proliferative and apoptotic cells were determined by immunostaining using anti-BrdU,Pax2(an embryonic renal marker),vimentin(an immature mesenchymal cell marker),and activated caspase-3(a cell apoptosis marker). Results Cell death was found in tubules at day 1 after ischemia and reperfusion injury.BrdU-positive cells were dramatically increased and reached peak at day 3 after injury.In addition,the number of BrdU positive cells in the contralateral kidney was significantly increased compared to sham operated group.Double immunostaining showed that BrdU-positive cells co-expressed Pax2 or vimentin,but not activated caspase-3. Conclusions Renal progenitor-like tubular cells may play a predominant role in repair process following ATN in rats.They may dedifferentiate,proliferate,and then redifferentiate into mature tubular cells.Growth factors may regulate the repair process.