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Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Assessment of Kidney Function in Mouse Models of Glomerular Disease
Published on: June 30, 2018
Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors Flt-1 and KDR/Flk-1 in chronic cyclosporine
F S Shihab1, W M Bennett, H Yi
1Division of Nephrology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84132, USA. fuad.shihab@hsc.utah.edu
Background:
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an endothelial cell mitogen involved in angiogenesis, wound healing, and inflammation.
Methods:
Rats placed on low salt diet (LSD) or normal salt diet (NSD) were treated with cyclosporine (CsA) or vehicle (VH) and killed at 7 or 28 days. We studied the expression of VEGF and its receptors Flt-1 and KDR/Flk-1 mRNA by Northern and that of VEGF protein by Western blot.
Results:
CsA induced VEGF mRNA and protein expressions at 7 and 28 days in LSD rats. At 7 days, CsA up-regulated the expression of Flt-1 and KDR/Flk-1 receptors; however, at 28 days, Flt-1 remained unchanged whereas KDR/Flk-1 expression declined. In NSD rats, in which the lesion did not develop, the expression of VEGF and its receptors remained similar to control.
Conclusions:
What causes VEGF to be up-regulated remains unclear. Further studies are needed to study the role of hypoxia and other cytokines in relation to VEGF in this model.
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