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Increased chymase-positive mast cells in children with crescentic glomerulonephritis

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Abstract

Mast cell-derived chymase is an angiotensin II-forming enzyme that appears to be involved in tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the kidneys. Previous studies have shown that the level of chymase increases in grafted kidneys after rejection and in adult patients with diabetic nephropathy. However, the significance of chymase in children with renal diseases has not been investigated. Using immunohistochemistry, we have investigated chymase expression in biopsy samples of renal tissue from 104 children with kidney diseases, including rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis (n = 3), diabetic nephropathy (n = 2), allografted kidney (n = 3), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 6), immunoglobulin A nephropathy (n = 33) and Henoch–Schönlein purpura nephritis (n = 23). Increased numbers of chymase-positive mast cells were observed in the renal cortex of all three patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis (mean 26.0/mm2; range 19.3–36.8/mm2). Chymase-positive cells were also observed in the renal biopsy of an allografted kidney and in those from children with diabetic nephropathy. The mean number of chymase-positive cells in renal tissue samples characterized by each renal disease was significantly correlated with the mean intensity of the interstitial fibrosis in that same tissue sample (Spearman’s rank correlation test p = 0.0013; rank correlation coefficient  0.84). These findings suggest that mast cell-derived chymase plays an important role in juvenile crescentic glomerulonephritis.

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Acknowledgments

This study was presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of Japanese Society of Nephrology, Fukuoka, Japan, 2008.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama City, Wakayama, 641-8509, Japan

    Hiroko Togawa, Koichi Nakanishi, Yuko Shima, Mina Obana, Mayumi Sako & Norishige Yoshikawa

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

    Kandai Nozu & Kazumoto Iijima

  3. Department of Nephrology, Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

    Ryojiro Tanaka

Authors
  1. Hiroko Togawa
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  2. Koichi Nakanishi
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  3. Yuko Shima
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  4. Mina Obana
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  5. Mayumi Sako
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  6. Kandai Nozu
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  7. Ryojiro Tanaka
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  8. Kazumoto Iijima
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  9. Norishige Yoshikawa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Koichi Nakanishi.

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Togawa, H., Nakanishi, K., Shima, Y. et al. Increased chymase-positive mast cells in children with crescentic glomerulonephritis. Pediatr Nephrol 24, 1071–1075 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-008-1044-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-008-1044-2

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