[Interrelation of changes in the epithelium of kidney tubules and interstitium in nephrosclerosis based on...

Kidneys from 90 individuals who had died from atherosclerosis, hypertensive disease, or chronic glomerulonephritis were examined following early autopsies. The nephron epithelium and the endothelium of peritubular capillaries were studied for activities and distribution patterns of NADPH2 dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, and acid and alkaline phosphatases, for relative capillary and connective tissue volumes, and for lymphocyte, monocyte, and plasma cell numbers. A mathematical analysis of the histochemical and morphometric data provided information on the nature of changes in the renal microcirculatory bed and on the roles of free stromal cells in various forms of nephrosclerosis as well as on the zonal distribution of the parameters studied. Intercellular and vascular-cellular links were found to be weakest in the most advanced stage of chronic glomerulonephritis involving reduction of peritubular capillaries. In cardiovascular disorders, the morphofunctional characteristics of the microcirculatory bed and of its volume showed reciprocal changes, probably of a compensatory character.