BACKGROUND AND AIMS Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibition reduces systemic blood pressure (BP) and decreases renal damage in animal models of kidney disease. The aim of this study was to determine if ROCK inhibition might have beneficial effects in glomerular disease processes that are independent of systemic BP. METHODS We investigated the effects of the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 and hydralazine in murin...

BACKGROUND Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to have a role in the progression of puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephrosis. However, the exact mechanism by which PAN induces ROS in this model is little known. In the present study, we attempted to purify a candidate for the target protein from PAN nephrotoxicity. METHODS Using PAN-affinity column chromatography, a series of PAN-bin...

Recent studies have demonstrated upregulation of transient receptor potential cation channel 6 (TRPC6) contributes to podocyte injury in acquired forms of proteinuric kidney diseases, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). However, under these pathophysiological conditions, the mechanisms of regulation of TRPC6 expression and activity remain unknown. The present study tested the hyp...

1. A method is described for the production of a nephrosis in one kidney of an experimental animal. The normal kidney in the same animal is available for a control. 2. The nephrosis produced by the injection of 7.5 per cent sodium tartrate is limited to the proximal convoluted tubule. There is no histological evidence of glomerular damage. 3. This damage results in a disturbance of water and ch...

BACKGROUND IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a very common glomerulonephritis worldwide. Nevertheless, treatment options for primary IgAN are still largely based on opinion or weak evidence. There is a lack of large randomized controlled trials (RCT) that provide a definitive immunosuppressive protocol for IgAN. The recent KDIGO Clinical Practice Guidelines for Glomerulonephritis have assigned low leve...

BACKGROUND Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a phospholipid that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis and can be synthesized by glomerular cells in response to different stimuli. PAF increases glomerular permeability to proteins and urinary PAF has been determined to be of renal origin. In order to assess whether urinary PAF can be found augmented in situations of glo...