Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The increasing of the fibronectin expression plays an important role in the process of renal interstitial fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of fibronectin in the kidney of the rats with renal interstitial fibrosis.
METHODS: Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=24), sham-operation group (n=24) and model group (n=24) by touching ball method. Rats in the model group were used to establish the unilateral ureteral obstruction model, the rats in the sham-operation group received the open surgery and the left ureter was freed, and the rats in the normal control group received no treatment.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Histological observations of renal tissues revealed that the degree of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis of rats in the model group was significantly increased when compared with the normal control group and sham-operated group after unilateral ureteral obstruction, and it was increased gradually accompanying with the increasing of obstruction degree. The expression of fibronectin, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and transforming growth factor β1 in renal tissue of model group was significantly increased, and it was increased gradually accompanying with the increasing of obstruction degree, they all reached the maximum at the 14th day after modeling, there was significant difference in the model group when compared with normal control group and sham-operation group (P < 0.05). It indicated that in the process of the renal interstitial fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction rats, the expression of fibronectin was elevated from the early stage of renal injury and positively associated with fibrosis stage, and then promoted the renal fibrosis. The higher protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 might be one of reasons for increasing the renal interstitial fibrosis.