Background: Nestin-expressing cells play a role in the repair process of injured tissues and organs. This study examined the nestin-expressing cells in interstitial fibrosis in experimental chronic cyclosporine A (CsA) nephropathy.
Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were treated daily for 1 or 4 weeks with CsA (15 mg/kg) or vehicle (VH; olive oil, 1 mg/kg). Nestin mRNA expression was evaluated with reverse transcriptional-polymerase chain reaction, and nestin-expressing cells were detected immunohistochemically. Localization of nestin was performed with double labeling studies for vimentin, aquaporin 1, or calbindin D28K.
Results: Nestin mRNA expression was not different between VH- and CsA-treated rat kidneys. Nestin-expressing cells were rarely observed in the cortex in the VH group, but CsA-induced renal injury caused an increase in nestin-expressing cells in the cortex in a time-dependent manner. Nestin-expressing cells in the CsA group were localized to the area of interstitial fibrosis, and the number of nestin-expressing cells well correlated with the score of interstitial fibrosis (r=0.898). Nestin-expressing cells did not express vimentin, aquaporin 1, or calbindin D28K.
Conclusions: CsA-induced renal injury recruits nestin-expressing cells to injured areas, and these cells might be involved in reparative fibrosis in the progression of chronic CsA nephropathy.