Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2025

Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
From inflammation to renal fibrosis: A one-way road in autoimmunity?
Dario Roccatello1, Hui-Yao Lan2, Savino Sciascia1
1University Center of Excellence on Nephrologic, Rheumatologic and Rare Diseases (ERK-net, ERN-Reconnect and RITA-ERN Member) with Nephrology and Dialysis Unit and Center of Immuno-Rheumatology and Rare Diseases (CMID), Coordinating Center of the Interregional Network for Rare Diseases of Piedmont and Aosta Valley (North-West Italy), San Giovanni Bosco Hub Hospital, ASL Città di Torino and Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences of the University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Abstract:
Renal fibrosis is now recognized as a main determinant of renal pathology to include chronic kidney disease. Deposition of pathological matrix in the walls of glomerular capillaries, the interstitial space, and around arterioles predicts and contributes to the functional demise of the nephron and its surrounding vasculature. The recent identification of the major cell populations of fibroblast precursors in the kidney interstitium such as pericytes and tissue-resident mesenchymal stem cells, or bone-marrow-derived macrophages, and in the glomerulus such as podocytes, parietal epithelial and mesangial cells, has enabled the study of the fibrogenic process thought the lens of involved immunological pathways. Besides, a growing body of evidence is supporting the role of the lymphatic system in modulating the immunological response potentially leading to inflammation and ultimately renal damage. These notions have moved our understanding of renal fibrosis to be recognized as a clinical entity and new main player in autoimmunity, impacting directly the management of patients.
Related Concept Videos
Acute Kidney Injury II: Pathophysiology
Renal Corpuscle
Glomerulus: Structure and Function
The glomerulus is a tiny, intricate network of capillaries located at the beginning of the nephron. It's enveloped by the Bowman's capsule and receives its blood supply from an afferent arteriole, which divides into numerous...
Autoimmune Disorders
Concept and Mechanism of Autoimmune Diseases
The immune...
Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction
Nephrotic Syndrome I : Introduction
Acute Kidney Injury III: Clinical Manifestations

