Taken together, these findings suggest that GEC-AGT expression plays a key role in glomerular RAS activation followed by glomerular pathological alterations in CKD. Fig. 3 Protein expression of angiotensinogen (AGT) in isolated human glomeruli and immunohistochemical staining of AGT in patients with minor glomerular abnormalities (MGA) or IgA nephropathy (IgAN). a Western blot analysis was performed using samples of isolated human glomeruli (lane 1) and purified human AGT (lane 2), respectively.

Capmatinib Anti-human AGT antibody reacted with a 61 kDa band in each sample. b In patients with MGA, AGT was strongly expressed in proximal tubules and weakly detected in Selleck Geneticin glomerular endothelial cells. c In patients with IgAN, AGT expression was strongly induced

by glomerular endothelial cells and mesangial cells. Modified from Ref. [30] Fig. 4 Effects of the ARB candesartan in anti-GBM antibody-induced learn more nephritic rats. Nephritic rats were treated with or without candesartan, sacrificed on day 28, and then subjected to an immunohistochemical examination. Light microscopic examination showed that severe crescentic nephritis had developed by day 28 (b) but was significantly attenuated by treatment with ARB (c). PBS-injected rats were used as normal control rats (a, d, g). Immunostaining revealed that nephritic rats showed diffuse and strong glomerular Ang II staining (e), while ARB treated-nephritic rats Pregnenolone showed segmental accentuated staining of Ang II (f). Control rats showed weak positive Ang II staining (d). Strong superoxide production (DHE dye) was detected in nephritic rats (h) compared with control rats (g), but was significantly attenuated in ARB treated-nephritic rats

(i). Modified from Ref. [39] Fig. 5 Biochemical analysis of nephritic rats on day 28 with or without treatment with ARB. Samples from isolated glomeruli from either control rats, day 28 nephritic rats or ARB-treated day 28 nephritic rats were subjected to Western blot analysis using anti-AGT antibody (a), Ang II measurement using ELISA (b), TGF-β measurement using ELISA (c) and Western blot analysis using anti-Nox2 antibody (d). Control control rats, GN nephritic rats without ARB treatment, GN + ARB nephritic rats with ARB treatment. # p < 0.01 versus control; § p < 0.05 versus GN; *p < 0.01 versus GN. Modified from Ref. [39] Glomerular Ang II production is also regulated by the expression ratio of ACE to ACE2 within the glomerulus [27]. ACE2 plays a primary role in converting Ang II to Ang (1–7), which mediates vasodilation, antiproliferative, and antifibrotic actions via Mas receptor, and therefore has the potential to counterbalance the effects of ACEs [17]. ACE2 is now considered to be an endogenous ACEI [41].