Korean J Med.  2002 May;62(5):530-536.

The endothelin-1 expression in the kidney tissue of patients with glomerulonephritis

• Bae SJ
• An WS
• Rha SH
• Kim SE
• Kim KH

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Endothelin-1 has been found to be a potent mitogen in cultured mesangial cells. In addition, the urinary hyperexcretion of endothelin-1 was observed in patients with glomerulonephritis.
METHODS
The author studied endothelin-1 immunoreactivity in 64 kidney biopsies of patients with various glomerular diseases by immunoperoxidase staining utilizing anti-endothelin-1 serum from the rabbit.
RESULTS
A group of Ig A nephropathy with glomerular proliferative change (8 focal glomerulonephritis and 7 diffuse mesangial proliferative glemerulonephritis) and a group of other proliferative glomerulonephritis (11 membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type I, 5 poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, 8 focal or diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis) have more prominent endothelin-1 protein expression in the glomerular endothelium, the vascular endothelium and the tubular epithelium than non-proliferative glomerular disease group (12 minimal change nephrotic syndrome, 7 membranous nephropathies, 6 IgA nephropathies with minor glomerular abnormality).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that endothelin-1 has a potential role in the pathophysiology of proliferative glomerualr diseases.

Keyword

Endothelin-1; Glomerulonephritis

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Endothelin-1*
Endothelium
Endothelium, Vascular
Epithelium
Glomerulonephritis*
Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative
Humans
Immunoglobulin A
Kidney*
Mesangial Cells
Nephrosis, Lipoid
Endothelin-1
Immunoglobulin A