Delineation of the healthy rabbit kidney by immunohistochemistry - A technical note

Pre-clinical animal models are needed to investigate and study kidney injuries and diseases. The rabbit kidney model is frequently used because various important parameters can be assessed with it. For example, histology and immunohistochemistry are indispensable as tissue morphology and composition can be investigated qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Here, different histological and immunohistochemical stainings were performed in the rabbit healthy naïve kidney tissue. First, overnight formalin fixation followed by paraffin embedding and cryopreservation with a subsequent 10-minute formalin fixation prior to staining were compared. Cryosections showed a more pronounced staining pattern, with clear borders at low magnifications, but blurred borders at higher magnifications. Then, antigen retrieval (AR) for paraffin embedded sections resulted in more prominent corresponding signals compared to stainings without AR. Moreover, several advantages and disadvantages of chromogenic versus immunofluorescence stainings were considered. Chromogenic staining was advantageous compared to immunofluorescence for collagen I and III, and to a minor degree for fibronectin. Finally, distinct structures, such as the pelvis, the calices, the glomeruli and tubuli, were stained in serial sections with diverse immunohistochemical stainings in order to delineate their composition. The following stainings were performed: standard Haematoxylin&Eosin and Elastica van Gieson staining, collagen I, collagen III, fibronectin, α-SMA, ki-67 and protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2). While chromogenic stainings of collagen I and collagen III were particularly useful to depict kidney structures in paraffin sections compared with cryosections, cryosections immunofluorescently stained for α-SMA were superior to paraffin sections, particularly at higher magnifications. With regard to specific structures, we found renal vessel walls positive for fibronectin and α-SMA, while the Bowman's capsule was only positive for fibronectin and α-SMA showed only tiny spots. The mesangial cells of the glomeruli and the distal tubuli were PAR-2 positive, while the proximal tubuli were PAR-2 negative.