[Distribution of glutathione peroxidase in the glomeruli of IgA nephropathy]

To study the role of reactive oxygen species in chronic renal disease, we studied the location of Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in glomeruli of patients with IgA nephropathy. In normal kidney, GSH-Px was localized in tubular cells, and not in glomeruli. In the kidney with IgA nephropathy, GSH-Px was detected in glomerular cells in addition to the tubular cells. As for the relation between the extent of GSH-Px and clinical findings, the following results were obtained. When GSH-Px are strongly stained in glomeruli, histological change of glomeruli was milder. Concerning the renal function, when GSH-Px was stained weakly, Ccr reduced significantly one year after the renal biopsy. Thus, when this enzyme are present in glomeruli, renal function appeared to be more preserved. These results suggest that this enzyme have the beneficial action for renal function as antioxidative factors in IgA nephropathy.