[Intraglomerular distribution of thrombomodulin in patients with various renal diseases]

We investigated the intraglomerular distribution of thrombomodulin (TM) antigen in patients with various renal diseases. The subjects enrolled in this study were 28 patients with IgA nephropathy, 26 with collagen diseases, 10 with toxemia and 4 with DIC. Normal renal cortex used as a control was obtained from the normal pole of kidneys with a tumor of the opposite pole. Intraglomerular distribution of TM antigen was detected by an immunohistochemical method using a polyclonal antibody against human TM. The following results were obtained: 1) The staining intensity of TM on endothelial cells of glomerular tufts was higher in IgA nephropathy and collagen diseases than in the controls, but was the same in toxemia and DIC as in the controls. 2) The staining intensity of TM decreased with the progression of the glomerular lesion in IgA nephropathy and lupus nephritis. These findings suggest that the intraglomerular distribution of TM may be involved in the progression of glomerular lesions and in the acceleration of intraglomerular blood coagulation in various renal diseases.