chondroitin-sulfates and Nephritis--Interstitial

Quantitative and qualitative alterations of renal oversulfated chondroitin/dermatan sulfates (C/DSs) accompanied by the development of tubulointerstitial nephritis were examined. The rat model with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is a suitable model for study of renal interstitial fibrosis, and was utilized in the present study. Cortical regions of serial sections of UUO kidney and sham-operated kidney on glass slides were processed using a small surgical knife under dark field microscopy. Oversulfated C/DSs in tissue sections on a glass slide were degraded to unsaturated disaccharides using chondroitinase ABC and ACII digestion in the presence of bacterial collagenase. The resulting unsaturated disaccharides were subsequently determined by HPLC. These in situ investigations yielded the following results: (1) marked increases in oversulfated C/DSs content and decreases in the oversulfation degree of C/DSs were observed in fibrous lesions, compared to non-fibrous lesions, and (2) iduronic acid content in C/DSs in fibrous lesions was significantly lower than that in non-fibrous lesions. These findings indicate that oversulfated C/DSs with low-iduronic acid content represent a potential marker for tubulointerstitial nephritis.

Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Chondroitin Sulfates; Dermatan Sulfate; Kidney; Male; Nephritis, Interstitial; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sulfates; Tissue Distribution

Topics: Chondroitin; Chondroitin Sulfates; Glomerulonephritis; Glycosaminoglycans; Heparitin Sulfate; Humans; Kidney Tubules; Nephritis, Interstitial

20 healthy children, 20 children with tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) and 20 children with glomerulonephritis in the active state were examined. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of urinary proteins, beta-2-microglobulin excretion and acid glycosaminoglycan electrophoresis were performed. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis showed in all the cases with TIN low molecular weight proteinuria, no bands were observed in healthy children and in all the cases of glomerulonephritis high molecular weight proteinuria. Beta-2-microglobulin determination showed no differences between healthy children and children with glomerulonephritis, but showed high levels in the group of children with TIN. Acid glycosaminoglycan electrophoresis showed in the group of children with healthy children a mean chondroitin-4-sulfate-/heparan sulfate ratio (CS/HS) of 3.8 +/- 0.4. Children with TIN presented a low ratio of 1.5 +/- 0.5. Patients with glomerulonephritis showed a mean ratio of 3.7 +/- 0.3. Our results clearly show that tubular damage can be revealed by a low quotient of chondroitin-4-sulfate to heparan sulfate.

Topics: beta 2-Microglobulin; Child; Chondroitin; Chondroitin Sulfates; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Glycosaminoglycans; Heparitin Sulfate; Humans; Nephritis, Interstitial