Tissue culture of isolated glomeruli from patients with glomerulonephritis

Tissue culture of isolated glomeruli from patients with glomerulonephritis. To study aspects of glomerular cell response in varying types of glomerulonephritis, we evaluated isolated glomeruli from 101 normal and diseased adult human renal biopsy specimens in tissue culture. Glomerular cell outgrowths from normal glomeruli consisted of large stellate cells (type I) and smaller fusiform cells (type II). A very occasional cell (type III), which had the features of a macrophage, was seen. The cellular outgrowth from isolated glomeruli reflected the numbers and types of cells present in the diseased glomeruli. Reduced numbers of cells were found in the outgrowth of sclerotic, hypocellular glomeruli. Glomeruli from biopsy specimens with altered morphologic appearances but no increase in cellularity (minimal change nephropathy, membranous nephropathy) produced the same growth pattern as from glomeruli isolated from normal kidneys. In mesangial proliferative nephritis, increased numbers of type II cells were detected in the outgrowth. Large numbers of macrophages were found in the glomerular outgrowth of patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis. Macrophages were absent when crescentic glomeruli were sclerosed, indicating the importance of macrophages in the acute hypercellular phase of crescent formation. Cultures tissulaires de glomerules isoles de malades atteints de glomerulonephrite. Afin d'evaluer les aspects de la reponse des cellules glomerulaires dans differents types de glomerulonephrites, des glomerules isoles de 101 biopsies d'adultes normaux ou malades ont ete etudies en culture de tissu. Les cellules glomerulaires cultivees a partir de glomerules normaux etaient de grandes cellules etoilees (type I) et des cellules fusiformes plus petites (type II). Plus rarement des cellules ayant les caracteres de macrophages (type III) ont ete observees. Pour les glomerules pathologiques, la culture cellulaire a reflete le nombre et le type des cellules initialement presentes. Le nombre de cellules etait diminue dans les cultures de glomerules sclerotiques. Les glomerules modifies mais sans hypercellularite (modifications minimes, extra-membraneuses) donnent issue aux memes cultures cellulaires que les glomerules normaux. Les glomerules de nephrite mesangiale proliferative donnent un nombre accru de cellules de type II. Les macrophages en grand nombre ne sont observes qu'a partir de glomerules obtenus chez des malades atteints de glomerulonephrites proliferatives. Les macrophages sont absents quand les glomerules avec des croissants sont scleroses, ce qui indique l'importance des macrophages dans la phase hypercellulaire aigue de la formation des croissants.