Detection of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and its receptors in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis

There are many reports suggesting that tissue damage in chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) might be related to macrophages, and that a variety of chemotactic factors (intercrine or chemokine) activate macrophages. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a chemotactic cytokine, has been suggested to be both an important monocyte chemotaxin and activator in renal inflammation. Here, we studied the expression of MCP-1 and its receptors, both common (CKR-1), as well as specific (MCP-1a and MCP-1b) in human renal tissues at mRNA levels by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Total RNA was extracted from renal tissues that were obtained from 40 patients. Separation of the glomeruli was performed in 17 patients. There was stronger MCP-1 mRNA expression in the whole renal tissue samples than in the isolated glomeruli. The expression of MCP-1 receptor was also greater in the whole tissue than in the glomeruli. Moreover, the expression of MCP-1 mRNA was correlated with the levels of serum creatinine, creatinine clearance (Ccr) and interstitial tissue damage. Finally, our study shows the infiltration of macrophages was strongly demonstrated in the interstitium by monoclonal antibody (CD68) using the ABC method, and it has a correlation with the frequency of MCP-1. positive group. We concluded that MCP-1 might be connected with the pathogenesis of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (mesPGN) and that interstitial events might be related to the progression of mesPGN.