Expression of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in patients with acute renal injury

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation is to determine if the protein expression of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway is induced after acute renal injury in patients with acute tubular necrosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty patients in who met inclusion criteria underwent renal biopsy. Based on the result of the biopsy, patients were divided into two groups: one with nephrotic syndrome with mini-change disease (MCD group, 30 patients), the other one with minor lesions and acute tubular necrosis (ATN, 30 patients). Biopsy sections were stained with either periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) or Masson stain and examined under light microscopy to determine the degree of tubulointerstitial injury and renal tubular interstitial fibrosis, respectively. The expression of Wnt/β-catenin signal proteins in renal tissue was resolved immunohistochemically using protein-specific antisera.

RESULTS: The typically silent Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in normal kidneys was noted to be upregulated in patients in either the MCD and ATN groups; that expression was statistically significantly higher in the ATN group as compared to the MCD group (p < 0.05). The degree of renal tissue injury was statistically significantly higher in the ATN group as compared to the MCD group (p < 0.05). Also, the degree of tubulointerstitial fibrosis was significantly higher in the ATN group as compared to the MCD group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Results of this investigation confirm the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in renal tissue in patients with acute renal injury and nephrotic syndrome, which appear to be important in the host biological response to necrosis, fibrosis, and proliferation.

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