Expression and Significance of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 in Inflammatory and Non-Inflammatory Glomerulonephritis

Hong, Seong Pyo; Ihm, Chun Gyoo; Lee, Tae Won; Kim, Myung Jae

Abstract

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1) has been known to play a role in the pathophysiology of inflammatory glomerular diseases through selective monocyte attraction and activation. Immunohistochemical analyses were conducted to investigate the presence of MCP-1 and CD68 positive macrophages in 5 normal and 20 diseased kidneys which consisted of IgA nephropathy(IgAN, 9), membranous nephropathy(MGN, 6), and minimal change disease(MCD, 5). MCP-1 mRNA was evaluated in the renal tissue from 4 patients and 4 controls by RT- PCR. In addition, the levels of urine MCP-1 were measured by ELISA and the relationships among renal MCP-1 expression, renal CD68 positive macrophage infiltration, urine MCP-1 levels, and the extent of proteinuria were evaluated. Renal MCP-1 expression was upregulated and primarily localized in tubular cells. Higher CD68 positive macrophage infiltration was observed in IgAN but not in normal controls and non-inflammatory glomerular diseases. The MCP-1 mRNA expression was strongest in IgAN patients' kidney and followed by MCD, MGN, and normal controls. In IgAN, the urinary excretion of MCP-1 correlated with renal MCP-1 expression and 24 hour urine protein. The degree of CD68 positive macrophage infiltration tended to correlate with urine MCP-1 levels in IgAN patients. In conclusion, our data suggest that MCP-1 is likely to play an important role in the pathophysiology of IgAN and seems to play a trivial role in that of MGN or MCD.