Background: Contralateral nephrectomy stimulates compensatory growth of the remaining kidney. Intensive growth is frequently associated with increased apoptosis. The proliferation and apoptosis of cultured
rat mesangial cells isolated from the remaining kidney following contralateral nephrectomy were evaluated. The involvement of the renin-angiotensin system was concomitantly assessed.
Material/Methods: Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay and hematoxylin staining, proliferation by 3H-thymidine incorporation, angiotensin-II (A-II) production by RIA, bradykinin synthesis by specifi c EIA, and AT-1/AT-2 receptor mRNA expression by RT-PCR. 125I-A-II labeling was applied for AT-1/AT-2 receptor density evaluation.
Results: Apoptosis of unstimulated control cultures progressively increased from a baseline of 2.02±0.55% to 8.3±1.19% in 30-min and 12.8±4.11% in 24-h cultures (p

Keywords: Renin-Angiotensin System - drug effects, Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1 - metabolism, RNA, Messenger - metabolism, Nephrectomy, Mesangial Cells - drug effects, Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects, Angiotensin I - metabolism, Cell Separation, Cell Proliferation - drug effects, Captopril - pharmacology, Bradykinin - biosynthesis, Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Blockers, Angiotensin II - pharmacology