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Updated: May 21, 2026

Identification of the Source of Secreted Proteins in the Kidney by Brefeldin A Injection
Published on: November 10, 2021
Hepatocyte growth factor-induced amelioration in chronic renal failure is associated with reduced expression of
Hong-yue Wang1, Li-zhi Yang, Ming-ji Cui
1Department of Nephrology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Abstract:
This study aimed to examine whether hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) can improve renal function in 5/6 nephrectomized rats and investigate whether this function is associated with a decrease in α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in rat glomerulus mesangial cells and renal interstitium. Rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control, PCI-neo, sham-operation, 5/6 nephrectomy, and low-dose and high-dose PCI-neo-HGF. Rats were killed in the ninth week after 5/6 nephrectomy, and the kidney specimens were subjected to pathological examination by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining and detection of α-SMA expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels were increased, renal interstitium was injured, and α-SMA expression was elevated in 5/6 nephrectomized rats compared with that in control. The above changes were ameliorated in the rats injected with PCI-neo-HGF vector. At the molecular level we found that PCI-neo-HGF repressed α-SMA expression in mesangial cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. In conclusion, our data suggest that HGF can relieve chronic renal failure, and this protection is associated with the down-regulation of α-SMA expression in mesangial cells and renal interstitium.
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