Histochemistry of glomerular cells in animal models of crescentic glomerulonephritis

A histochemical enzyme profile has been used to determine the origin of the cells of glomerular crescents in rabbit and sheep models of rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis. Crescentic glomeruli were examined for beta-glucuronidase, esterase and acid phosphatase, the characteristic phagolysosomal enzymes of the monocyte-macrophage series and its transformed tissue counterpart, the epithelioid cell. More than 50% of the cells of the glomerular crescents of animals with experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis contained large amounts of all the enzymes, whereas the cells of normal glomeruli contained only trace amounts of acid phosphatase and esterase and no glucuronidase. These findings support the hypothesis that the major proportion of the cells of glomerular crescents are monocytes which have accumulated in Bowman's space rather than intrinsic glomerular cells which have proliferated.