Bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation rescue glomerular filtration barrier and epithelial cellular junctions in renovascular hypertension model

New Findings

What is the central question of this study? To determine whether a single BMMC transplant into subcapsular region of kidney could improve cellular communication and adhesion, while restoring renal tissue cytoarchitecture and function during renovascular hypertension. What is the main finding and its importance? It was possible to observe that BMMC transplantation can restore connexin 40 expression and also recover N‐ and E‐cadherin levels within 15 days. It was observed for the first time that BMMC transplantation restores nephrin expression, a glomerular filtration barrier component, related to podocytes and glomerular basal membrane.

Abstract

Stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential treatment for renal diseases due to their regenerative potential. However, a better understanding of damaged renal cells morphofunctional changes in the presence of transplanted stem cells is needed. This study aimed to investigate cell‐cell communication and adhesion in renal parenchyma along with fibrosis analysis, to evaluate renal morphology and function after bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation in 2 Kidneys–1 Clip (2K1C) rats. BMMC therapy significantly decreased blood pressure and renin expression, also improved renal morphology and restored glomerular filtration barrier with remodeling of podocytes. In addition, there was fibrosis reduction while connexin 40 and nephrin expression was significantly increased after 7 and 15 days of transplantation. Plasma creatinine, urea and total protein levels were restored while proteinuria was reduced. Furthermore, N‐ and E‐cadherin expression was increased soon after BMMC therapy. GFP⁺ BMMC were found in the renal cortex after 24 and 48 hours of transplantation into renal subcapsule, while 7 and 15 days after, these cells were observed throughout renal medulla, indicating cellular migration. Therefore, these data suggest that transplanted BMMC improve cell‐cell communication and adhesion between damaged cells, accompanied by renal morphology and function recovery.

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