Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Assessment of Kidney Function in Mouse Models of Glomerular Disease
Published on: June 30, 2018
[Clinical usefulness of CD68 staining in children with various glomerular diseases]
Insights
CD68 staining effectively identifies macrophage accumulation in pediatric kidney diseases. This aids in understanding disease severity and guiding treatment selection for better patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Immunohistochemistry
- Renal Pathology
- Pediatric Nephrology
Context:
- Macrophage accumulation is a hallmark of proliferative glomerulonephritis and kidney injury.
- Understanding macrophage roles is crucial in pediatric kidney diseases.
Purpose:
- Investigate the role of macrophages in pediatric kidney diseases using CD68 staining.
- Correlate macrophage accumulation with clinicopathological features and renal function.
Summary:
- Studied 74 pediatric kidney disease patients (81 specimens) using CD68 immunohistochemistry to mark macrophages.
- Found increased glomerular macrophages in proliferative glomerulonephritis and FSGS.
- Macrophage accumulation correlated with hematuria, proteinuria, renal function, and disease activity/chronicity.
Impact:
- CD68 staining is a valuable marker for assessing the clinicopathologic state in pediatric chronic kidney disease.
- This marker can inform and improve treatment selection for affected children.
Purpose:
Glomerular macrophage accumulation is a common feature of proliferative forms of human glomerulonephritis and kidney injury. Our present study was designed to investigate the role of macrophages in pediatric kidney diseases by using CD68 staining.
Material And Methods:
Seventy-four patients (39 boys and 35 girls) with pediatric kidney disease yielding 81 specimens were investigated. A monoclonal anti-human CD68 mouse antibody (KP1) was used as a macrophage marker in this study. Paraffin-embedded renal biopsy specimens were stained for immunohistochemical analysis. The average number of macrophages per glomerulus in each patient was calculated as the total number of CD68 (+) cells within all glomeruli divided by the total number of glomeruli in a single section and the average number of observed interstitial macrophages was calculated in 3-5 high power fields.
Results:
Glomerular macrophage accumulations were increased with crescentic proliferative glomerulonephritis, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Glomerular and interstitial macrophage accumulations were correlated with hematuria, proteinuria and renal function (eGFR). In particular, activity and chronicity index, as well as the severity of glomerular IgA, C3, and fibrinogen deposition were correlated with glomerular macrophage accumulation.
Conclusions:
Macrophage accumulation observed by CD68 staining was a useful marker in providing a deeper understanding of the clinicopathologic state of children with chronic kidney diseases, and was effective in the selection of treatment.
