Dramatic early event in chronic allograftnephropathy: increased but not decreasedexpression of MMP-9 gene

Kidneys of Fisher (F334) rats were orthotopically transplanted into bilaterally nephrectomized Lewis (LEW) recipients. To suppress an initial episode of acute rejection, rats were briefly treated with cyclosporine A (1.5 mg/kg/day) for the first 10 days. Animals were harvested at 12 weeks after transplantation for histological, immunohistochemistry and molecular biological analysis.The expression of MMP-9 was up-regulated in interstitium and vascular wall in the early stage of CAN, where there were interstitial mononuclear cells infiltration and SMCs migration and proliferation. Moreover the expression of MMP-9 were positively correlated with the degree of interstitial mononuclear cells infiltration, the quantity of SMCs in arteriolar wall, and also the increased TFG-beta1 expression in the tubulointerstitium and arteriolar wall.MMP-9 may play an important role in the mechanism of pathological changes during the earlier period of CAN. Virtual Slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1582313332832700